


With My Last Breath

by LadyLilianna



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Fantasy, Love, Murder, Mystery, Realistic, Romance, Runnaway, depressed, suicidal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 11:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19904815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLilianna/pseuds/LadyLilianna
Summary: Her father is dead. Her Step-father and mother abuse her. Her brother is about to leave the state for college, and now Krystal Nightingale finds herself alone with more questions than she ever had before after finding papers linking her step-father and mother to the death of her father. Hiding out in Bar Harbor, Maine with the son of the millionaire Hawthorne family, Ashton, who struggles to deal with his own demons after his little brothers death, Krystal begins to realize that her step-father may be more of a monster than she thought...*Some parts may be suggestive/slightly graphic and may cause triggers for some. Please proceed with caution*





	1. One

Nothing feels the same after you've lost the person you loved the most...nothing on Earth could ever take away the pain or even come close to making you feel slightly better...I guess I'm in between the phases of denial and acceptance after everything. I mean, after hearing your father get murdered while you can only stand there helpless, it's gonna mess with you pretty badly...I wish I could go so far as to say that things eventually got better, but it didn't. The only thing that changed was my mom getting married to a guy named Axel a month after everything happened.

The day was starting out the same as it usually does when I have school. Mom and Axel were downstairs fighting over the usual stressors; money, me, and my brother Jack going away to law school down in Florida. Today was his last day of school and he wanted to take me with him just so I could get away from this place, but no matter how much he begged and pleaded the college wouldn't allow it; he had even gone so far as to bring in videos and pictures of the damage Mom and Axel had done to the both of us...but it didn't seem to phase them at all. Jack is my rock and I don't want him to go but if he didn't it would only keep him from achieving his degree; he was also going to try and find a way to get me out of here sooner than later.

I groaned as I looked over at the clock. There wasn't much use in avoiding the long day ahead of me any longer so I crawled out of bed and made my way to the shower to clean away the dried blood that covered my body. Axel was a serious alcoholic and wasn't a good one. His empty bottles either made it to one of the downstairs walls or he would find something I did wrong and smash it on me as a punishment; some days it was just because he didn't feel like actually throwing the bottle at the walls. A few of the other marks I had were some of my own doing...I know, I shouldn't make it worse but it somehow made me feel like I was back in control of my life for a short time...

I grabbed the soap once I felt the hot water touch my skin and began to gently rub it in, sighing as the blood came off easier than it had last time and it wasn't too painful today. The gashes and bruises were easy enough to hide in school, but the ones I had been caught doing myself, Axel would make sure everyone saw them; he had even gone so far once to point them out to people when we went out to places. That's around the time I stopped going outside and how Jack and Mom found out I was doing it at all.

Mom had actually tried to help me once she found out but Axel wouldn't let her, so Jack did everything he possibly could to make sure I didn't die on him. He helped me to not do it as much and made sure that even if I did I wouldn't be losing too much blood at once. I had actually almost succeeded in stopping completely until I got the news that Jack had been accepted into college. I didn't have the heart to tell him that though just in case it made him want to change his mind about going to school...

Once I had stepped out of the shower, a refreshing cool breeze swept across my body making me slightly shiver. I grabbed my bandages and cleaning supplies and began to clean the cuts to keep them from getting infected or from opening up more and spilling blood everywhere. I had had that happen once before in school but luckily no one really noticed and I was able to clean it up in time to keep it from showing through my clothes. Once everything was cleaned, I pulled on my clothes and grabbed the work clothes I needed since I had to go to work right after school. The walk from my school to the coffee shop was almost an hour long, but it gave me the time I needed to unwind and clear my head of everything that has happened.

The people I worked with were amazing and so was our boss, Amanda; who I had become very close friends with. Amanda was one of the few people that actually gave me hope for anything. She had a caring personality and a smile that always touched her eyes, letting anyone that saw her know that she was there for you as a friend and someone you could tell anything to. Her positive attitude made the place run well and we all knew that without her, half, if not all, our customers wouldn't bother coming back.

I've been working with Amanda for nearly two years now and I really can't find anything wrong with her; aside from her habit of getting back together with her jerk of a boyfriend, Jason. Aside from that, she's perfect in every way. I'll be the first to admit that I do have a bit of a crush on her, but in this town being bisexual or full on gay makes you the target of some serious hate; which is one reason why Axel hates my guts and why Jack is super protective of me. As far as I know, no one has ever admitted to being anything but straight ever since two boys threw someone over the bridge just because he admitted he was gay...It had made the front page of every paper in the state four weeks in a row; especially after the two guys were sentenced to fifteen years of prison each. I think they should have gotten life... I still remember crying when I first saw the headline and the name on it.

Teen boys arrested for the murder of 19 year old Alexander Hawthorne...

From everything I heard after that, his family had pressed serious charges against the parents of the two guys and had actually won the case. Not many people were pleased with that but they understood and never spoke out against them since everyone knew the Hawthorne name...they're one of the richest families around and hold a lot of power within the community; yet they are very nice people from what other's have said about them. Jack and I had known Alexander before he graduated from school and he had been one of the nicest people with dreams of going to the big city and becoming a runway designer. From what I saw of his work, he would have made millions with his clothes. It's a shame he'd never get to make his dream happen.

After hearing about that, I had kept my sexuality a secret for as long as I could until Axel found out and made it a public event. Since then, I've been the target of a lot of hate from people in town and the people I go to school with; but Jack always had my back when things got really rough...I'm a little afraid of what will happen when Jack finally goes to college next week. I had finally finished putting on my clothes and makeup then quickly tied my hair up into a tight ponytail, revealing the scar that I had on the right side of my face; a scar that had been caused by a knife followed by a three week coma thanks to Axel's drunken rage. Jack had nearly killed him after that from what I had been told, but he was more concerned about my life. If it wasn't for Jack, I probably would be dead by now.

I quickly made my way downstairs into the kitchen where my bag was waiting along my usual pop-tart for the walk. I walked out the door as fast as I could before Axel had the time to notice me or say anything and began walking to the school. Since it was Jack's last day, he didn't have to be there until a little after nine for the pre-graduation ceremony in the gym so he couldn't bring me to school today. Today was also the day that students from other grades got recognized for their efforts, good grades, and athletics. The basketball and football teams were bound to get a big speech for their "fantastic sportsmanship" and for getting our school the championship prize at the national games in Seattle, Washington; something that apparently hasn't happened in like ten years. It was also the day Jack would get recognized for the amazing performance he did during our school's last concert. His playing and lyrics were so good that the judges gave him all 10s and first prize; I couldn't be more proud to have him as my older brother.

As I continued walking, I slipped my headphones on over my ears and let the music of Mayhem fill my ears and slow down my racing thoughts. I had a playlist of all their best songs and listened to them more than any other band on my iPod. A lot of people never heard of them before and those who looked them up eventually thought I was insane for liking them at all; especially after they heard about the...incident...with one of my favorite band members. As strange as it sounds, I'd honestly give anything to see him alive in person to know what he was really like before his death.

The walk to the school was nearly over when I saw a bright red sports car pull up close beside me. I scowled and tried to walk faster, trying to avoid what I already knew was unavoidable. Finally, the car came to a stop and the faint click of too high high-heeled shoes were heard letting me know that the one and only Nikki Sutton was on her way to deliver her daily blows along with her current boy-toy, who also happens to be mine and Jack's former friend, Drew Cooper. Drew, Jack, and I used to be the best of friends until Nikki got hold of him. She had somehow managed to get him to hate the both of us and ruin our reputation. Drew was the one Jack had told everything to; even things that I didn't know about. Everything we ever told him eventually made it to Nikki's ears and soon enough the whole high school knew everything we tried to keep from them.

Suddenly, the noise of her heels stopped and she stood a foot away from me with her hand on her hip, pushing me with her other hand before she started talking.

"Tell me something," she said sharply. "Why are you even still alive? How many people have to tell you that they don't want you here? Do us all a favor and kill yourself; at least then no one will have to be miserable looking at your face. Maybe that's what really happened with your dad. He probably couldn't stand to even be around you so he killed himself and the cops took pity on him and made up that stupid murder story."

Her words had cut deeper than anything she had ever said before. Everyone in town knew about my father's murder. He had been downstairs watching his football tapes late one night when someone had broken in through the back window. He tried his best to get the people out of the house but ended up getting shot. The cops never caught the people responsible but the two main suspects had always been my mom and Axel because not long after his death, the two of them married and she forgot all about him and his death.

Looking over Nikki's shoulder, I saw that even Drew was shocked that she had gone that low.

You know something, Nikki," I spat. "You aren't all that. Just because your parents are rich and you can buy your way through anything doesn't give you the right to be a bitch to me or anyone else so why don't you just shut your mouth Sutton."

Her face was red with anger, and instead of saying anything, her fist connected with my jaw and sent me down to the ground with a metallic taste in my mouth. I was used to this by now. It was normal for Nikki and her friends to deliver at least five or six good blows a day depending on if they could be bothered or not to give more. If Nikki was having a bad day, however, it would be a constant hell for the day with blows coming from her friends as well as a few of the people on the football team. No one cared about the beatings I got; even the principle would look the other way because Nikki's parents would just sign over a check with a lot of zeros just for him to keep quiet and to keep Nikki out of trouble.

As I recovered from the punch, I watched at Nikki got back into her car and pulled into the school's parking lot. Sighing, I brushed myself off and finished the walk to school, cleaning the bit of blood off of my face.

"Krystal!" came Drew's familiar voice. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I sighed as I opened my locker but nodded once, too afraid to say anything in case it was all a trap set by Nikki; I never knew with Drew anymore and that's what scared me the most.

"Look," he started to say. "I know that I've done some really unforgivable shit to you and Jack and I can't begin to explain how sorry I am, but I wanna try and make things right. Please give me another chance, Krystal, and I promise you won't regret it."

I sighed and thought for a minute before giving in and nodding. As much as I wanted to say no, I couldn't push away all the good memories that the three of us had together. I missed having Drew around and I knew that Jack did too, but Drew's betrayal had all but destroyed him; they used to be as close as brothers once upon a time. I wish I could be like Jack and push away the memories and feelings, maybe then I wouldn't hurt so much or be so ready to just sleep and never wake up.

"Alright," I finally managed to whisper. "I guess it can't hurt to give you one more shot; but how do I know that this isn't all just some kind of sick joke?"

Drew sighed. "I don't blame you for thinking that, Krystal, I really don't because I'd probably wonder the same thing if I was you. I know you and your brother don't trust me and you have every right not to. I can promise you this isn't a joke but actions speak louder than words, right? I don't wanna see you hurting anymore, Krystal. I honestly love you. I always have but I was stupid and decided to choose popularity and being with Nikki over the only real friends I ever had. You two needed me to be there for you after everything that happened with your dad and instead I fucked everything up and treated you like you never mattered."

"Did you just say that you loved me, Drew?" I asked a little too harshly. "I hope you can at least remember my opinion on that damn word and aren't just saying it."

"I know how seriously you take it, Krystal, but it's honestly how I've felt for a long time. I've had these feelings for as long as I can remember. I figured they would just go away with time but they got stronger and I got scared so I figured if I hurt you and pushed you away I would move on and these feelings would go away; I guess I just ended up hurting both of us instead of doing either of us a favor. Can you ever forgive me?"

I sighed and thought for a moment. "Drew, you're lucky I'm giving you a chance right now; but it's gonna be a long time before I can trust you again. I'll admit that I had some feelings for you in the past and honestly thought that I might have loved you; but you ruined that by doing what you did."

"Krystal I'll wait however long I need to! I know things will never be the way they used to be but I want to at least try."

I nodded sadly. No one had known about my feelings for Drew except for Jack and he had promised to keep it a secret until I was ready to tell him. I can't even begin to count how many times I had once dreamed about being with him and holding his hand in public without anyone around me judging and laughing at us. It was a dream I gave up on after he turned to Nikki. Without another word being said between us, I began walking to my first class.

Art was my favorite class. It was the one place where I could express myself through my drawings without worrying about being judged for whatever I came up with. The art teacher, Mrs. Jones, was one of the nicest teachers in the school and always was supportive. If one of her students was having a hard time, she would have them stay after class or after school to help them and be there for them like a second mother. Her art room had a zero tolerance rule when it came to bullying; if you were caught once it was a warning, twice was detention, and a third time would get you suspended. The principle never even argued with her rules and had even added that if someone was caught doing it again after the third time, the suspension would go up to ten days.

I sat down at my usual spot, pulling out my pencils and paper, noticing that while other students were coming in, Mrs. Jones had yet to come in. She was usually the first person in the room just so she could greet everyone with one of her cheerful smiles followed by asking everyone how their weekend had been. It was rare that she was ever late to class; maybe she was trying to see if we could handle being alone in the room without her and not do anything crazy. I started to work on my latest sketch while everyone around started pulling out their supplies and drawings from the last class. Usually my drawings revolved around whatever mood I was feeling at that moment, and after everything that had happened with Drew, I figured I would somehow work the confusion I was feeling into the drawing and then coming up with some lyrics to put in it as well once I finished the basic design. As everyone worked and talked amongst themselves, the principal's voice came over the speaker.

"Attention to all students and staff," she said quietly. "Our assembly shall begin a little earlier than expected; would you all please make your way to the gym and take your seats."

We all started to get out of our seats, everyone talking about why they thought the assembly was starting almost an hour early. As I walked into the gym I almost felt suffocated as waves of students crowded into the gym trying to find a seat with their friends, or find the easiest place to fall asleep for a while. Since no one in the school really cared for me, or even really noticed my existence, I was being tossed like a rag doll until I finally made my way to my usual spot in the corner away from most of the other people. Normally sitting by myself was what I liked to do, but it seemed as though that wasn't about to happen once Drew sat down, and looked over at me with his bright green eyes. Trying not to smile at him like an idiot, I began looking around and quickly spotted Jack with the rest of his class on the gym stage.

"Can I ask you something, Krystal?" asked Drew.

I nodded. "Sure; what's on your mind?"

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go and catch a movie with me Friday night if you weren't working. Maybe we could even go shopping at the mall like we used to. Before you even ask, everything would be on me; I'd also like to take you out to dinner and make it like a date if you're alright with that."

"Good morning everyone," came Principle Alexandria's voice. "Today was originally supposed to be one of celebration. A day that was made to celebrate these students as they leave this school and begin the first chapter of adulthood. Today, however, is bitter-sweet. All of you here today know our beloved staff member Mrs. Amelia Jones. She was with us nearly fifty years and has given all of us that little ray of sunshine that we all knew we needed. I received a telephone call from her daughter minutes before I called you all here; I am sorry to tell you all that Mrs. Jones has passed away as of early this morning due to medical complications."

The room went silent and no one could manage to say a word. Even the people who always did the most talking during assemblies stayed quiet. My heart sank down into my stomach and hot tears rolled down my face just as I'm sure they were with Jack. Mrs. Jones had always been an important part of his life just as she had been for me.

"We must not forget what she meant to us," continued Principle Alexandria. "She would not want us to make this day one of sadness, but to carry on smiling and carrying on her memory. Keeping that in mind, it is time that we see these fine students out with our best smile!"

The rest of the assembly passed by quickly with students receiving their awards. Finally, it was time for the seniors to get their diplomas and leave the school once and for all. Since Jack was one of the best students the school had, he had been allowed to give the final speech.

He walked up to the microphone with confidence and his signature smile. "Good morning. I don't want this to be like every other speech that we've heard before. I want to start by saying this; we might be closing this chapter, but the next one will be the hardest chapter yet. Some of us are already college bound while others are staying behind to take a break for a while or to just find a job; whatever they might be doing, it will be like nothing we've ever known. I don't know what my future holds just as I'm sure the people I've come to call my friends these past years feel the same. This school has built me into the person that I am today and for that I will be forever grateful. Mrs. Jones was my biggest supporter and friend, just as I'm sure she was to most of you."

"He's good at giving these things," whispered Drew.

I nodded, keeping my eyes on Jack the whole time.

"Before I go, I want all of you to keep one thing in mind; no matter what, you will face nothing alone. You will always have a friend as long as you are at this school with the teachers and staff who will go above and beyond to help you and see you succeed in your dreams. I hope all of you one day achieve your dreams with your heads held high with confidence! No matter what, anything is possible and no one but you can say otherwise."

As he finished his speech, everyone began to clap and cheer for him. It wasn't a secret that almost everyone in the school liked him because of the kind of person he was; so it really wasn't a surprise that he had gotten a reaction like this.

The rest of the day went by slowly, everyone noticeably upset about Mrs. Jones not being around anymore. Even during the final part of the graduation ceremony I had even noticed that Jack's usual bright blue eyes held a sadness that people rarely ever saw in him; it broke my heart to see him like that on the day of his graduation. Finally, the final bell rang and we were finally able to leave. Grabbing the bag next to me that held my work clothes, I made my way out of the classroom and out the front doors, hoping that the day would get a little better once I got to work and saw Amanda.

Putting my headphones in, I blasted Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People and began the walk through town; the faint smell of oncoming rain filling my nose and making me smile just a little. Thunderstorms and rain were two of my favorite things when it came to weather; there was just something so peaceful about it and the amazing smell that rain had once it had finally stopped. As I walked, I made sure to keep my head down towards the ground, not wanting anyone from school to see me or make eye contact with me; it never ended well if they did and I just wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone's judgemental stares today.

Today was also the day that I wanted to finally tell Amanda that I liked her. It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't nervous as hell about it. She was normally seen with a guy, sometimes two, but she had openly admitted to being bi-sexual and didn't mind dating girls if she really liked them. I found myself hoping that I could be someone she would allow herself to be seen with, or even just let me take her on one little date. Once the coffee shop came into view, my legs picked up the pace to where I was almost running like my life depended on it. Once I was in the parking lot and saw the black pickup truck in front of the store my heart sunk to my stomach.

Jason wasn't a completely bad person depending on whatever mood he was in, but something about him always had Amanda running back to him for more every time they broke up. Usually when that happened it would mean a girls night out and a lot of ice cream to make her feel a little better even when you knew that the same thing was about to happen again in another week or so. She would tell me a million and one times how much she hated him and how she was never going to get back together with him, yet there they were in front of the shop laughing and flirting like nothing was ever wrong. As I got closer I began to make out some of the conversation.

"I was stupid to keep hurting you, babe," he said with a smirk as he brushed her hair. "You know there's no one else I'd rather be with; you're the only girl for me."

Amanda giggled again. "Aw, baby! You're too sweet! You know I missed you like crazy. I was actually thinking about calling you tonight for a date. I just wanna put this nasty fight behind us."

"So do I, babe. I can't stand fighting with you."

Deciding that I couldn't listen anymore, I quickly ran into the store with my heart pounding against my chest. It was almost guaranteed that they had seen me but at this point I didn't care. As much as I like Amanda, I don't really like her enough to deal with the same drama all the time anymore. Once my apron was on, I quickly started taking orders and making coffees, seeing Amanda come in out of the corner of my eye I ignored her and made conversation with one of our regulars. As I handed him his drink, Amanda came over and told me to come see her once I had finished with what I was doing. My heart began to pick up speed, almost making me feel a little faint.

I sighed and looked over at my co-worker Adam. "Can you take over for a few minutes? Amanda wants to see me about something."

He flashed a smile and waved me off. "Go get your girl, Kris!"

I forced a smile and shook my head before heading into the office. I walked in, giving Amanda my best poker face, and sat down in one of the chairs.

"What did I do wrong?" I asked.

"Krystal," she said softly. "You haven't done anything wrong and I'm sure you know that. I just wanted to talk to about what happened with Jason and..."

I quickly cut her off. "Look, please don't bother with whatever speech you prepared because I honestly don't care anymore. You're always coming to me crying about how he hurt you, broke your heart, and how you'll never get back with him but you keep hurting yourself like this and I can't do it anymore. He doesn't love you or like you the way I do and he sure as hell doesn't give a rats ass about your feelings like I do. I guess you've been a little blind to see that I've liked you for a while now, but that doesn't matter anymore; you go and be with Jason but I don't wanna hear about your breakups anymore. I need to get back to work now."

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Krystal, please just listen to me!"

It killed me to drop everything I had felt for her, but it was for the best. "Goodbye, Amanda."

Once the door was closed, all that could be heard was Amanda's cries coming from the office. I felt terrible for making her cry, but she had decided to pursue a relationship with someone who is just an abuser, cheater, and a liar. Deciding not to let this interfere with my work, I pushed it to the back of my mind to deal with it later. Once I was back at the register, Adam turned and smiled at me.

"How did it go?" he asked hopefully.

I shook my head. "She got back together with Jason, so there's your answer."

He sighed. "I don't what she sees in him; he's such an airhead."

The rest of the day passed by quickly with Adam and I making jokes about Jason and what plans we had for the weekend. As it turned out, his boyfriend was taking him on a weekend trip to New York City to visit his sister Carly; I honestly couldn't help but be a little jealous of Adam and Seth's relationship, I only hoped that one day I would meet someone who was as good to me as Seth is to Adam. I wanted so badly to feel the love of another person, to have something pure and unconditional....but it seemed like that kind of happiness was out of my reach. I almost had a deep hatred for those who could be that happy while I stayed miserable; but it wasn't something I had any power over at the moment.

Finally, the last of the customers left and we were able to lock down the shop. Amanda had only come out of the office to fix a few things or to do some of things that she needed to do while we shut down, but she never once looked in my direction or said a word to me. It hurt not talking to her but at the same time it was honestly for the best after what had been said earlier. When I left the building, the sun had almost completely set and it had gotten cooler. Adam had offered to give me a ride home but I declined, wanting to take as much time as possible so I wouldn't have to deal with Mom and Axel as much when I finally did get home. Sighing, I put my headphone back on and let the vocals of Mayhem fill my ears and take me to my own happy world where I could be myself and finally be happy for once.

I'll be the first one to admit that yes, I do have a bit of a thing for metal music and the people who make it; I find it attractive and honestly pretty sexy. Most people would think I was crazy if I ever told them that or let anyone besides Jack know that I was into metal. That kind of music is forbidden in this little town of country people; it's honestly pretty depressing if you ask me. Aside from Mayhem, I'd have to say that the second best metal band would have to be Darkthrone. I can't really explain why I like either bands so much, so I guess you could say I made some kind of weird connection with them in dark times. I had even tried getting Jack to listen to them on a few different occasions but he practically hated it. To each their own I suppose.

The wind had picked up a bit making it slightly colder, but the sudden chill felt good against my skin since it felt like I had been on fire most of the day. I had just come onto my road when I heard the screams of Mom and Axel from where I stood. It wasn't a rare thing to hear them fighting and it was almost normal to see a cop car pull into the driveway; the cops and I were almost on a first name basis at this point with how much they get called to the house.

Jack's car wasn't in the driveway, letting me know that he was probably either out with his class celebrating graduation or spending the night with his girlfriend. Standing outside for a minute longer, I opened the door as quietly as possible so they wouldn't hear or see me come in. I looked around seeing all the broken glass on the floor, tables flipped over, and the couch was turned upside down with a little bit of what looked like blood on it; it was going to be painful cleaning all of it up later once they made up and realized I was home. As I was about to make my way up to my room, I noticed a small silver key laying on the floor; a key that I had always seen Axel wear around his neck.

Quickly grabbing it I shoved it into my pocket and hurried up the stairs as quietly as I could, wondering if Axel was going to miss the key anytime soon. I had heard him tell Mom at one point that it was the key to a safe he kept hidden in the attic, so since neither of them went up there it would be almost too easy to find the safe and whatever was inside it; especially if they kept up the fighting long enough to not hear any noise I might make. From the sound of everything, it sounded like Axel had either been caught cheating again or Mom had a little too much to drink. Whatever the case was, I honestly didn't care as long as they left me out of it.

The attic was a pretty cluttered space that was almost overflowing with stuff Axel had brought with him when he moved in with us; most of it was junk that was either molding or completely falling apart. The light had been broken when everything had been moved in, so the only light I had was the one on my phone, which honestly wasn't very bright at all. Looking around I noticed a few old family pictures when Dad was still around and Mom was happy again. It always puzzled me how she was able to move on so quickly with Axel after he died. I mean, yeah people move on after time heals the wound, but to move on as fast as she did had everyone asking questions and giving her crap for it; even her own parents gave her hell for it saying she should have waited longer.

I still wondered how she even knew Axel before everything. She had only mentioned him once before and when she did, Dad didn't like it and had told her that she was never allowed to talk about him again. They had gotten into a fight about it that night and she had acted like he had ruined her life by saying that; it was pretty weird but at the time I didn't really give it much thought. Thinking about it now made my stomach turn at all the possibilities and the fact that she could have been cheating on Dad the whole time. He might not have always been the best person but no one deserves to be cheated on when they're giving their heart to someone. I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point. After stumbling around for what felt like hours, I finally found the small black safe that Axel kept up here. Just as I was about to put the key in, I could hear Axel yelling my name as he stomped up the stairs.

"Where the hell is the little bitch?" he yelled. "Her shit is here but where is she so this mess can get cleaned up?"

Then came Mom's voice. "She probably left while we were arguing; she's gotta come home sooner or later."

I waited a few minutes before putting the key in the safe, making sure they were gone before even moving. The door cracked open allowing me to look inside. Instead of finding something like a gun or money, there were copies of emails, newspapers, and police reports dating all the way back to 1993. I pulled open one of the emails and began to look it over, my heart dropping to my stomach as I read.

Sent to: Shadow_Viper@starspace.com Sent From: Hells_Fighter@starspace.com

Subject: Finished Business

I am pleased to say that the deed is done. The families involved are unaware of my involvement and the second phase of our plan is about to take place shortly once I get the money from, the now widow, Julia Nightingale. Her bitch of a daughter will most likely pose a threat and will have to be taken care of at some point, but for the moment she is more concerned with the death of her father. Now that he's gone we can get the money easily and once we have it, the widow will be dealt with as well. I shall keep you informed of the progress just as I have before.

-H.F.

My heart pounded against my chest as I looked through more and more emails, more and more murders by Axel's hand showing up. The last email, however, had me nearly in tears.

Sent To: Hells_Fighter@starspace.com Sent From: Shadow_Viper@starspace.com

Subject: A New Objective

As it would seem, we might have a use for Mrs. Nightingale after all. Should the daughter you mentioned previously become too big of a threat, you and her mother will take care of her. Allow me to explain myself further to avoid another embarrassment like your "suicide" termination. You will earn the trust of Julia Nightingale and turn her against her daughter. Make her hate the girl to the point where she believes she is the problem with everything; plant some evidence if you must to convince her. Next I want you to make sure that our contacts are in place should anything happen and make sure they are told to keep her with them and turn her over to you and only you! Should she talk to the wrong people this whole operation will go under and I will make sure it's only you that goes to prison; I don't want to remind you again of the last mistake you made.

Please also keep in mind that the safe I have given you is to be locked at all times and you will only be given one key. Should you lose the key you will not be given a new one and it will fall on your shoulders to remember the instructions given to you as well as the names and locations of our contacts and the money for expenses. I am putting this trust in you so please do not make me look like a fool by doing this. I would, however, strongly advise that you and Mrs. Nightingale kill the child as soon as an opportunity presents itself.

Best of luck, my friend.

-S.V.

THUMP.

I jumped as I heard the sound of Axel's boots coming up the stairs, quickly closing the safe, shoving the papers into my pocket, and hiding myself in a deep corner just before the door swung open revealing Mom and Axel. My heart pounded so hard against my chest I was surprised they couldn't hear it.

"Where is the little bitch?!" fumed Axel as he began to search the room.

Mom followed him. "I don't think she's here, Axel. What are you even looking for?"

He grabbed her by the neck, pulling her just inches from his face. "That key is the only thing keeping this whole plan from falling apart. If she got her hands on it and unlocked that safe we are both going to be fucked! Do you not understand that, Julia?!"

She nodded frantically before he tossed her to the floor and walking out of the room with his cell phone in hand. Mom stood up slowly and looked around the room, her eyes stopping on the area I was hiding in, she almost looked sad.

"Krystal," she whispered as tears began to fall. "I don't know if you're even here, but if you are I'm so sorry I ever let this happen. I never should have listened to him. If you're here, you need to get out while you still can and get to the police with those papers; I don't care what happens to me because I deserve whatever I get. Stay safe buttercup."

As she left, closing the door behind her, I wanted so badly to run out and tell her that everything was gonna be alright, that I forgave her and we could go to the police together and be rid of Axel once and for all, but I thought about the email from Axel's partner; she was just as big a part in this as he was and couldn't be trusted no matter how much I wanted to trust her. Slowly I moved from my corner and looked through a hole in the door to make sure they had left. Once I was sure they were gone I made my way to my room and stuffed the papers and key into my backpack and began to shove clothes and other things I would need in there, opening the window once I was done and climbed out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Running.

That's the next thing that I can remember. The weather had drastically changed and it was now pouring rain, thundering every now and again with lightning bolts coming down in the distance. My hair was now as drenched as my clothes but I refused to stop running until I was far enough from that house so I knew I was safe. Everything had finally sunk in as I ran, cold rain water mixing with hot tears and my burning lungs had me wanting to scream out just to get some of the pain and anger out of my system. I wasn't even sure how far I had run or where I was; not that I even cared at this point. Once the burning in my lungs had become unbearable, I sat down on the sidewalk and looked around, seeing that I had made it to the park almost across town. Taking a deep breath, I pulled out my phone and called the only person I could think of.

The phone rang twice before they had finally answered. "Hey, Krystal, what's up?" he asked.

"I really hate to ask but could you come and pick me up? Something happened and I need to get as far from here as possible."

"Sure! Tell me where you are and I'll be right there."

"I'm at Stone Lake Garden; that park across town."

"Damn, it must be bad if you walked all that way from your place."

"It's a really long story and I'd rather tell it to you face to face if that's alright."

"Of course, Kris, just stay where you are and I'll be there in like five minute, ten at the most."

Once we hung up I did my best to control my breathing, focusing on the sound of the rain and letting the water cool my skin with the millions of thoughts flooding my mind; the biggest thought being why Axel and the other person were stupid enough to send the things they did over an email and why Axel had kept the ones about Dad's murder at the top of the pile. The more I thought about, my stomach turned and I felt like I was going to be sick then and there. Everything Mom had told me about Dad's murder was a lie, Axel was a cold blooded killer with who knows how many other victims out there; maybe some that were and aren't in the emails. How many other children had cried at night after their loved ones were killed by his hand? How many others were out there like me? Did they all run away? Or did they meet their end like I was supposed to meet mine...?

As the thoughts rolled through my head, a car pulled up next to me and stopped. I looked up half expecting to see Mom or Axel, but relaxed when I saw Drew looking down at me holding out his hand.

"Are you alright, Kris?" he asked as he helped me up.

I shook my head. "I don't even know what to do anymore, Drew. Things are completely falling apart. Axel had everything to do with Dad being murdered and Mom was helping him. They had plans to kill me!"

Drew's eyes grew wider. "We need to get you out of here then. I'll make a call when we're in the car to some friends and you can stay with them for a while until we can get this figured out."

"Who are your friends? Shouldn't I know where I'm going?"

He shook his head while we got into the car. "If Axel or your mom were to catch us right now and ask us where we're going the only one who would know is me. They wouldn't be able to get a name or location out of you. The only thing you need to worry about is calming down and trusting me; these are good people and they can help you."

Deciding it would be best not to ask anymore questions, I sat in silence as Drew began to drive off, talking on his phone to someone and filling them in on what was going on. From the little I could hear of the person on the other line, they had the voice of a woman and seemed genuinely concerned. While they talked I started counting the streetlights that we passed with the hopes that it would help calm me down enough to where I could think straight and focus on what I was gonna do next. I wanted to show Drew what the emails said, but a small part of me still said that I couldn't completely trust him with anything that major just yet. Pulling out my phone I sent a quick text message to Jack to let him know the situation, telling him to stay away from Mom and Axel and to stay with Celia until it was time to go to college. He answered back almost immediately saying that I needed to call him as soon as I had the chance to.

The drive felt as endless as the road ahead of us. The rain had slowed down a bit but the darkness made it hard to tell where we were and where we were going. We hadn't passed a traffic sign or a city line side in miles, but I knew that our town wasn't nearly this big. I looked over at Drew, who was still on the phone, and noticed just how much he had changed in appearance since I had last really spent time with him. His face had taken on what I could only think of as an elf like quality with a slightly pointed jaw and little points on his ears. He hadn't done any surgery on them to make them that way; they had actually always been elf like ever since I had met him. His eyes had once been a sapphire blue, but had changed to the color of a stormy ocean; they occasionally changed color and went from blue to an almost dark grey depending on his current mood. I couldn't see them from where I sat but if I had to guess I would bet that they were a dark grey with a building anger based on how much his jaw tightened as he talked to the woman on the phone.

With a deep sigh, he set the phone down and pulled to the side of the road. "Before I get you to where we need to be, there are a few things you need to be aware of. These people are extremely kind and have been my friends for years, however, they aren't exactly like us. They live out here to avoid being around people that have done some serious damage. It's a family of five people, three of them are a little older than you but you'll have people to talk with while you're there. The other two people are the owners of the house, Viktor Hawthorne and his wife Tabitha."

My mouth fell open. "Aren't they one of the richest families in the state? How could you possibly know these people?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Tabitha Hawthorne is a close friend with my mom. They were as close as sisters at one point in time but they haven't seen each other in a while after some drama the Sawyer family caused."

"How long will I be staying with them?"

"I told Tabitha to keep you there as long as needed until we can get enough evidence against Axel and your mom to put them away for life. Speaking of which, how did you find out about all this?"

I thought for a moment before answering. "I got home from school and snuck up to my room so they wouldn't hear me; I overheard them talking about it and what needed to be done."

Our eyes locked for a brief second before he pulled back onto the road, not saying another word and focusing hard on the road. It was another fifteen minutes before we finally turned onto a small road that a person wouldn't ever notice unless they knew right where it was. Trees were growing on both sides of the road almost like an archway you would see in a painting or on the cover of a book. I could only imagine what it would look like during the fall with the leaves changing and falling to the ground and how they must look with ice covering the branches in the winter; I couldn't help but smile at the thought. For some reason, thinking of things like seasons or counting numbers in my head helped me feel a little better about what was going on. Whether it makes sense to anyone else or not I really didn't care as long as I wasn't having a complete meltdown when I met Drew's friends; the last thing I want to do is make more of a mess of myself in front of the Hawthorne family. Finally the car stopped.

"Are you ready to go inside?" he asked calmly.

I nodded as I looked at him. "I think so. Are you sure they'll let me stay here? I mean look at this place and look at how I look right now."

He smiled and shook his head. "I know you're dealing with a lot right now, but you gotta relax and trust me. I've known these people for a long time and they won't care what you look like. If anything, Tabitha and her daughter will help get you cleaned up while I talk with Viktor about the situation."

Taking a deep breath, I followed Drew up the stairs to a door with large stained glass windows. Drew knocked on the door and looked over at me with a small smile. A few seconds had passed before the door swung open to reveal a woman with long black hair and dark red lips.

"Drew, I'm so glad you made it safely!" She exclaimed. "Viktor and I were worried that something happened to the poor girl! Are you alright, sweetheart? What a silly question you must be freezing! Come on inside and I'll get you all cleaned up, then you can meet everyone!"

I smiled. "Thank you very much for your generosity, Mrs. Hawthorne."

She chuckled. "Please, darling, call me Tabitha. I am in no hurry to be reminded of my age!"

I smiled, following Tabitha into the house and taking in everything around us. The walls were painted in a soft tan color with a red carpet to complement it and the windows inside were mostly stained glass just like the windows on the door; aside from a few windows in areas to allow in the sunlight. I must have been walking slow because Tabitha had taken my hand and gently pulled me along next to her and up the staircase.

"You'll have plenty of time to look around, dear, don't you worry. First we need to get you out of those clothes. You and my daughter could probably be a perfect, if not pretty close, match as far as clothes are concerned and you both have a very similar style so you feel free to take your pick of whatever you wanna wear because she honestly has too many clothes and sometimes we find that she has two of everything. There's a shower and all kinds of hair and makeup supplies in the bathroom so you take your time and get cleaned up and I'll be right back up in about an hour."

I nodded. "Thank you again, Tabitha, I really appreciate what you and your family are doing for me."

"There's no need to thank me, Krystal. Now, go get in the shower and leave those wet clothes by the door. I'll take them downstairs to be washed."

Once she left the room I walked into the bathroom that connected to the bedroom. It was as large as a small bedroom and had almost the same color scheme as the rooms downstairs with a bathtub that was made of what looked like the kind of marble stone you would see in a kitchen. Peeling off the wet clothes, I laid them by the door like Tabitha had instructed and turned on the hot water. To my surprise, it was the kind of shower that had multiple jets and sprayed almost every part of your body all at once; it was the most amazing thing I had felt in ages. As the water warmed my body my mind began to slow down enough to where I could stop thinking about Axel and those papers. I grabbed the shampoo and the soap, both of which smelled like lavender, and gave my body a much needed scrub down before rinsing it off and shutting off the water.

The steam from the shower rolled out into the bathroom, turning it into a small sauna-like room. I grabbed a towel from the shelf and gently rubbed my arms and legs dry so I wouldn't irritate the cuts that covered most of my body. I almost didn't want to leave the bathroom and face what was going on since the present moment had me feeling the safest I had ever felt in a long time; but I had to go before Tabitha came back up to get me and bring me downstairs. I opened the bathroom door and let the steam roll out and the cold air wash over my body sending chills throughout my body. Glancing over at the large closet Tabitha had left open, I immediately found a red and black stripe shirt and a pair of black tripp pants to go with it. I looked over and saw that my underwear and bra were now sitting washed and dry on the bed with a small note in messy, but pretty, pink ink. Picking it up I began to read it.

Krystal, Mom filled me in on your "situation" so I figured the least I could do is offer you unrestricted access to anything and everything you could possibly wear! Makeup is included since I have way too much for just me! I hope we get along while you're here! ~ Naomi ~

I couldn't help but smile a little at the note, feeling grateful that Tabitha's daughter would allow me to use her things despite never having met me.

"Knock, knock!" came Tabitha's voice. "Are you doing alright, Krystal?"

I smiled. "I'm almost done getting dressed. I'll be out in a minute!"

"I have dinner ready for when you're all done so we can all eat together and talk this mess through."

I quickly pulled on my clothes and did my usual smokey eyed makeup with a little bit of dark red lipstick before pulling on my boots and opening the door where Tabitha stood waiting. She had a hand on one of her hips and a smile on her face that made her eyes almost sparkle; she genuinely seemed like a happy person no matter what the issue.

"How do you feel, Krystal?" she asked.

"I feel so much better, Tabitha, thank you. I really do appreciate what you and your family have done for me tonight."

"No need for thank yous, dearest, now let's get you something to eat you must be starving. I hope you don't mind steak at all; if you do I can always make you one of my famous salads. My husband might not be a vegetable or fruit person but he can't get enough of my salads!"

"I'm actually a pretty big fan of both, steak is my favorite though."

"Well then I'm sure you'll be pleased with dinner; Viktor makes the most amazing steak you could ever have and it's always fresh."

"What do you mean?"

"He goes hunting every now and then for meat to make steak and a few other things so the meat is always fresh off the animal; but we make sure not to waste really anything. My son Tristan has even began making things out of the bones and has been selling them to people around town. Ashton on the other hand is more of the reader of the family and keeps mostly to himself. He isn't talkative at first but once you get to know him he really is a sweetheart."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything like that, but why are you being so kind to me? I mean, we've just met each other and you've already done so much for me. Most people wouldn't do any of this for a complete stranger; let alone a family so well known."

Tabitha smiled. "You don't sound ungrateful at all, Krystal, it would be a little odd if you weren't asking those types of questions. Viktor came from a very poor family, you see. His father went to work at the factories every day and sometimes wouldn't come home until very early in the morning while his mother took care of him and four siblings while working as a seamstress. Varcelona was known for her handy work so almost everyone went to her when they needed something fixed or made, but they didn't pay much. They wanted the very best for their children and did everything they could for them. Viktor had even managed to get a college scholarship when he graduated and went to school to be a doctor and then went back to get his law degree. After his parents died he promised that he would keep their memory alive by giving to others the way they did."

"It sounds like he had wonderful parents. What about his siblings? What happened to them?"

"Well, his oldest sister Melanie is living in Italy with her husband Dominic and their newborn daughter Olivia; Estora and her fiance are living at the family home in Santa Monica; Christophe is about to be married to his fiancee Isabella in October in Paris; and Marcus mostly keeps to himself but we occasionally hear from him if something important happens. It really is a shame we don't hear from him more often; he and Viktor used to be so close and Naomi just loves him."

Just as we were about to keep walking Drew came over to us. "Is everything alright, Kris? You guys took a little longer than we thought so I came to see what was going on."

"Everything's fine, Drew," replied Tabitha with a small frown. "What is it that's so important anyway?"

Drew furrowed his eyebrows. "Tristan is getting a little impatient so he had me come see what was taking so long."

She smirked. "Was he now? Well, I suppose we shouldn't keep our dear one waiting then."

We walked in silence back down the hall, the tension so thick between Drew and Tabitha you could feel it all around. Drew had kept looking over at us from the corner of his eyes, a look of disapproval plastered in his eyes. My stomach turned inside me and a feeling of unease washed over me; almost like something was going to happen. Tabitha remained inexpressive and ignored the looks she knew Drew was giving her as we made our way down the stairs. For someone who was good friends with Drew's mother, it almost seemed like Tabitha wanted little to nothing to do with the boy beside her. Finally we reached the large living room where a man all in black stood in the center.

"You must be Krystal," he said with an inviting smile. "Please allow me to welcome you into our home. My name is Viktor Hawthorne and I, as I'm sure you've guessed, am head of this house. Please, come and sit down we have much to discuss."

I nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hawthorne. Thank you very much for your hospitality and kindness."

"Let us begin with the present situation. For the time being you will remain here with us until we can be certain that this man doesn't know where you are. Once we're sure you will be moved to another location..."

"Hold on a minute," I interrupted. "What about school? What about my job? I can't just walk away from everything and disappear like I don't exist. I wanna be as far from Axel as possible but I can't afford to not graduate or not have any money."

Viktor smiled and shook his head. "You don't need to worry about school, Krystal. Since you and my daughter are in the same grade in high school you will be attending private lessons with her and her tutor Mrs. Parker three times a week. As for your job and money we will work something out for you to do around the manor and earn an allowance just like my children do."

"That's different though. They're your kids; I wouldn't feel right taking your money after everything you've already done."

"As I said before, we can come to an agreement once we have this sorted out. Now then, I need to know exactly how you found out this information; we will talk about that privately in my office in a moment. Finally, while you are here I have had the guest room made for you. It has it's own bathroom just like the other bedrooms so you will have plenty of privacy and the closet has a few things for you to wear until Tabitha takes you to gather some new clothes. In the meantime you'll stay here and do as you're told in order to avoid detection."

Just as I was about to speak, one of the boys stood up and flipped his hair out of his eyes looking over at Viktor with a small scowl.

"Dad, we can't keep her here," he stated. "We don't know what kind of person she is or anything like that. For all we know she could be best friends with Veronica and I'm not going to deal with it if she is."

"Ashton," said Viktor sharply. "You have no reason to suspect she even knows who Veronica is and you have even less of a reason to tell me what should or shouldn't be done with the poor child."

"I'm not a child!" I interjected. "You might have been kind to me so far but don't call me a child. I might still be in school but a child wouldn't be dealing with things like this, would they? A real child would be wrapped in her parents arms and still believe that there are good things in this world but I'm far from being a child."

Tabitha rested her hand on my shoulder. "I agree with her completely, Viktor. We've no right to call her a child after everything that's happened to her. As for you, Ashton, I don't want another word being said against your father or myself about this; need I remind you that you're still living under our roof?"

Ashton's face softened. "I'm sorry, Mom, I just don't think it's a good idea for her to be here. Why not send her someplace else?"

"Where would you want them to take her?" shouted another boy; I assumed this must be their other son Tristan.

"Why not the summer house in Bar Harbor? It's far enough away that no one will ever find her there and she can be her own person. I mean, that's what she wants after all."

Viktor remained silent for a few minutes before nodding. "I think Ashton might be right. Bar Harbor might be the safest place for her until we can get this man put away. I'll head up there tomorrow morning with Collin and get the place in order so she can move in. I'll also put in a word for you at one of the coffee shops in the town. Would that be alright with you, Krystal?"

I nodded. "I guess that would be alright for now; thank you very much."

"Viktor, she can't go up there alone and you know that. I think one of us should go with her."

"Who do you suggest should go?"

Ashton was the next to speak. "I'll go with her. I need to get out of here for a while anyway and it'll give me some space from Veronica; plus I can protect her if need be."

Viktor looked at me. "Would you be opposed to this, Krystal? I can assure you that he would be a complete gentleman and only bother you should you ask him to."

I nodded again. "I think that would be a good idea. I'm not familiar with where I'm going at all; plus it would be good to have someone else there with me."

Tabitha smiled. "Well, it all appears to be settled then! Krystal, you and I will go to the stores tomorrow and gather clothes and other essentials for the trip. Ashton, you need to gather up your things and go with your father and Collin tomorrow so you can help them get everything ready and so you can get settled."

Ashton nodded before walking out of the room with his brother on his heels. Viktor looked over at me with a small smile and motioned for me to follow him.

"We have much to discuss, Miss Nightingale, please follow me into my office. Tabitha, I'll call for you when I'm ready."

Her smile slightly dropped yet almost resembled a knowing smirk. "Of course, darling, whatever you say."

Her hand pressed against my back, lighting pushing me ahead. I followed Viktor down a long hallway that had pictures of former and present family members as well as a few flower decorations in between photos. Near the end of the hallway was a large frame with a picture of their son Alexander with fresh roses placed under the picture; his bright smile and emerald eyes reflecting the happiness that had been snatched away from him.

"He was a good boy," said Viktor as he opened the office door. "No parent should have to bury their own child and I wouldn't wish that upon the family responsible for his murder. Now tell me something, Krystal, how did you hear of this unpleasantness? Drew says you overheard a conversation between your mother and this man, but that can't be the whole truth now can it?"

I sighed and shook my head. "I'm afraid it isn't even half of the truth, sir. What I told Drew was a lie. I don't know if I can trust him after some of the things he's done to me and my brother."

I began telling him everything from the beginning; what Drew had done, my father's murder, and how I found the e-mails between Axel and the person who gave the orders. The e-mails seemed to interest him the most and he had even pushed for me to show them to him but I couldn't find it in me to allow anyone to see them just yet; after all, I couldn't even be sure I could trust him just yet. He seemed to understand where I was coming from and quickly called Tabitha to join us not long after our conversation had ended. When she came into the room her expression held an anger that someone could read from a mile away.

"Viktor," she said coldly. "We need to have a talk about Tristan."

Viktor held up his hand. "I will not hear anything about my son, Tabitha. We have been over this a thousand times by now and I will not change my mind! Now I suggest you take Krystal up to the guest room and go to our room. I expect this conversation to end here and now for the last time. Do I make myself clear?"

She scowled as she pulled me next to her. "Perfectly clear, Viktor, as usual. But know this; I will not drop this until you decide to open your eyes and see the truth."

Turning on her heels, she strode out of the room and slammed the door behind us, Viktor's irritated growls coming from the other side. The look on her face as we walk warned me not to question what had just happened and to just keep quiet unless she spoke to me first. Her pale face still held that knowing smirk and her amber eyes held a spark of anger and questioning. While Viktor seemed like a decent husband and father, there was no question that there was obviously an unspoken war going on between the two just from the way they looked at each other.

Finally Tabitha broke the silence. "Don't let my husband push you around, dearest, he's all talk."

I simply nodded in acknowledgement, the tone of her voice much calmer now than it had been before. We soon reached a black and gold door; Tabitha stopped and extended her hand.

"This is where you'll be sleeping for the time being," she said as she opened the door. "I know this probably isn't what you're used to but it is a cozy room for someone. Now, my room is just down the hall and it's the last door on the right, Naomi's room is across from mine, and the boys are the doors before mine and Naomi's. Should you need anything just come and get me and I'll help you as best I can. Is there anything you'd like to say before I leave you to get settled?"

I shook my head. "No, but thank you very much."

She smiled before giving my arm a light squeeze. "Get plenty of rest, dearest, we have a lot to do tomorrow and I'd hate for you to be tired."

Once I was in the room, the door closed behind me and I was completely alone with my thoughts. Pulling out my phone I quickly dialed Jack's number to warn him about what was going on.

"Hey, Krystal," he answered in a still sleepy tone. "What's going on? It's like three in the morning."

"Jack, you have to listen to me and don't tell anyone you talked to me. Axel is responsible for Dad's murder and Mom knew all about it. I can't really tell you how I know right now but you can't go back there!"

"Where are you, Krystal?, I'll come and get you."

"I don't even know exactly where I'm at right now but when I know for sure I'll tell you. Just promise me you won't go back to that house."

"I promise, you don't need to worry. Try and get some sleep and call me as soon as you can so we can talk about this."

"Alright I'll call you tomorrow. Love you, bro."

"Love you too, Krystal, now get some sleep."

Tossing the phone down on the bed I reached into my bag, pulled out my laptop, and opened up to my blog page. Not many people still used these things but I had a pretty good 200 people following my page which was pretty good in all honesty. With a heavy sigh I began typing.

3:15 A.M.

I'm almost positive my life is over...and if it isn't now then it's going to be at some point...I can't really explain why but I know that however many more posts I do after this will be my last. As you all know, things at home are pretty bad, but things have hit a whole new level of f***ed up and I'm not exactly sure how to deal with any of it. If I post any of it on here then I'm sure someone will see it and try and do something or I'll get found out or whatever else could go wrong. I'm pretty scared...on the other hand, Amanda and Jason are back together and I finally took your advice and said enough is enough. She didn't seem to see where I was coming from and acted like she always does. I guess it's for the best things didn't work out; I mean you can't beat a dead horse forever, right?

With that, I closed the lid and sat back on the bed and closed my eyes trying my best to let sleep take me. It must have been a good hour and I was still awake; I could even hear Tabitha and Viktor arguing down the hall. I considered trying to spy on them but quickly decided against it in case they decided to throw me out if I got caught. From the sound of things it seemed like Tabitha was either in control of the argument or Viktor was just being that quiet so no one could hear his voice. As I listened, my eyes started to get heavier and soon I was completely relaxed.

I sat in my room listening to Mom fight with Dad about how he had been acting lately. It wasn't the first fight they've had and with Dad coming home the other night smelling like cheap perfume and sex, it wasn't hard for Mom to put two and two together. Their marriage had fallen apart once Alex died and it looks like nothing is gonna be able to fix it except a pen and some divorce papers. I knew for a fact that Naomi would be devastated if they split up and Tristan would take off with Juliet again to who knows where. I glanced over at the small table beside my bed at the framed picture of us all just a few weeks before Alex died. Everyone, even Tristan, had a huge smile; we were an actual family.

I grabbed the picture next to it and sneered. I had meant to destroy it sooner but hadn't had the time or the emotional strength to do it yet. All that crap about guys having no emotion when a girl breaks their heart is complete bull shit. The only difference is that I left her after hearing that she had slept with Tristan on our four year anniversary. I had wanted to marry that girl and my parents had hoped that if we got married things between us and the Sawyers would finally be calm again; I guess you could say they practically forced the idea into my head. I'd love for things to go back to how they used to be, but that's never gonna happen. No matter how much I loved Veronica she was nothing but a gold digger who couldn't keep her legs closed.

Finally, the door to Mom and Dad's room slammed open and the sound of Dad's boots echoed down the hall while Mom stayed in the room sobbing like she always did. I wondered if our guest could hear everything that was happening; if she could, I felt bad for her after all the crap she's already going through. Once I heard the downstairs door slam and a car engine start, I climbed out of bed and walked into Mom's room to find her curled up on the floor.

"I don't know where we went wrong, Ash," she cried as I walked over to her. "We used to be so happy and now he's off with some other woman!"

I sighed and sat down next to her. "I know how you feel, Mom, I really do. I don't know what I can say to make any of this better but I just want you to know that we love you."

She shook her head softly. "I wish your brother was still alive. Maybe if we had seen this coming we could have done something."

We sat in silence for a while, with no ideas what to say or how to make anything better.

"I'm not sure things would be better if Alex were still here," I said, breaking the silence.

"How do you mean, dearest?"

"Think about it. Dad was starting to become more and more distant after Alex told him he was gay. It was like he didn't see him as his son anymore. If those kids hadn't killed him he would have done it himself before long."

"Ashton, why would you say something like that?"

"He told me. He came into my room a few nights before he died and said he felt like Dad hated him; he couldn't even look at him anymore. The last time we were like a real family was the week we went to the Caribbean for Naomi's birthday."

More tears ran down her cheeks. "I thought things could get better if I played along. Your father never used to be like this, Ash, you have to believe that."

"I don't care what he was like before. He lost any respect I had for him when he hit you and Naomi. Don't you think staying with him will only set a bad example for her? I mean, look at how Adam treats her and she thinks it's okay. I just don't want you guys getting hurt anymore."

"Ashton, I wish I could just tell your father to leave or at the very least get you all out of here so you can have a happier life, but it would never work. Maybe one day when you're older you'll understand and you'll know more than what you already do."

"How can you say that? After everything he's done you still stay with him and put us through hell with you. You know, I'm glad I'm getting out of here; at least then I won't have to listen to this. I love you, Mom, but you seriously need to rethink this."

Standing up I walked out of the bedroom, back into mine and laid down on the bed staring up at the ceiling with memories of a happier time in my mind. Memories of when Dad was loyal and would have given anything for his family and Mom was happy whenever he was even in the same room with her. The door downstairs opened and I could hear Dad's footsteps coming up the stairs. With one last deep breath, I shut my eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Good morning, Krystal," said Tabitha with a large smile as I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Tabitha," I replied, returning the smile.

"Breakfast will be ready shortly so why don't you sit down and get comfortable; I hope you like pancakes and bacon!"

I nodded. "I don't know a single person who doesn't like that breakfast combo."

She chuckled softly and returned to the oven while I sat down at the table. She seemed to be in a much better mood than she had sounded last night; her and Viktor most likely patched things up. I pulled out my phone and began playing one of my games when I heard another girl's voice. Looking up I saw a beautiful girl my age with bright pink hair and hazel colored eyes.

She looked at me and smiled. "You must be Krystal! We didn't get a chance to meet last night with all the excitement going on! I'm Naomi and I really hope we can be friends; it gets super lonely being the only girl aside from Mom."

I smiled back at her. "I think we could be great friends, Naomi. Thanks a lot for letting me use your things last night, I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it! Hey, when we go shopping later I could help you pick out some super cute outfits if you want."

"That would be perfect! You and I seem to like the same style."

Tabitha smiled over at us. "I had a feeling you two were going to get along. I only wish you could stay here longer, Krystal."

"Wait!" yelled Naomi. "You mean she's leaving already? She just got here, Mom!"

"Your father thinks it would be better for her to go with Ashton up to the house in Bar Harbor for a while until things with her mother and that man cool off."

Naomi smirked. "Ashton huh? Well I guess we all know what that means!"

"What do you know this time, Naomi?" asked Ashton as he walked into the room.

Her smirk went from playful to devilish. "I hear you're going with Krystal to Bar Harbor, Ash."

He shrugged. "Yeah for her own protection and to get away from Veronica. What's it to you anyway?"

"Are you sure it isn't because you have a little crush on her, Ash?"

Ashton stopped in front of the fridge, turning to her with a burning look in his eyes.

"Don't you think it's a little early for you to start this, Nay?"

"You know I hate when you call me by that stupid name!"

Tabitha walked over with a plate of food. "Both of you calm down and eat some breakfast. Ashton, where's your brother? Please don't tell me he left already."

Ashton nodded. "He took of pretty early this time; said he was gonna go hang out with Rodney for the day."

"I wish he would make some new friends; Rodney is a no good little punk who's gonna get him in serious trouble one day."

Everyone talked and joked around as we ate the pancakes, the morning off to a good start for the first time in a long time. Ashton was telling everyone about his latest movie project for school when we heard Viktor clear his throat.

"Tabitha, I believe you and Krystal are supposed to be out right now," he said coldly. "Ashton, go and get ready we have a long trip ahead of us."

Tabitha's smile fell and a small scowl replaced it. "Nonsense, dearest, the children need to eat before doing anything or else they'll get sick and Ashton needs to take his medicine"

Viktor scoffed before turning on his heel and walking out of the room once again. The air around us was suddenly heavy and no one said a word; the smiles all gone and replaced with frowns. Tabitha sighed and looked over at Ashton who turned his gaze to something on the floor. It was painfully obvious that the family in front of me was far from happy and that whatever fight occurred last night was now being carried over into today... I wanted to say something to lighten the mood, to try and make them smile again, but anything that could be said was stuck in a lump deep inside the pit of my stomach bubbling around waiting to come out. Naomi looked up from her plate with apparent sadness all over her face and tears welling up in her eyes.

"I think I'll go up to my room today," she said, hardly even whispering. "I'm sorry I won't be coming with you today, Krystal."

I shook my head and put a hand over hers. "Don't be sorry, Naomi, you do what you need to do. I'm sure there will be other days to do something and get to know each other."

She gave a weak smile before standing up and walking out of the room. Ashton finally looked over at Tabitha and sighed.

"Don't make me go with him, Mom," he pleaded. "I don't think it's a good idea for any of us if I go."

Tabitha sunk into her seat. "Ashton, please be reasonable. I know things are tense right now but you can't just tell your father you've decided not to go; besides, Collin will be going with you so it's not like you'll have to deal with him much."

I saw that he wanted to argue with her more, beg her if he had to, about not going. Tabitha's face showed a deep regret about making him go, but it seemed like they both knew that one way or another this was the way things were going to be. Ashton would be going with Viktor whether he wanted to or not. Once again, Viktor walked into the room, his head held high with a long black jacket on and two large suitcases in his hands.

"It's time to go, Ashton," he stated; the tone of his voice sounding more like a warning than anything else.

Ashton sighed and stood up, walked over to the sink and grabbed a glass of water before putting two small pills in his mouth. Once the water was gone, he silently walked over to Viktor and followed him outside. When we heard the car fade into the distance, Tabitha relaxed a little and looked over at me with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry that things are tense right now, dearest," she said calmly. "I hope my husband hasn't upset you too much this morning."

I shook my head. "I've seen worse things with my mom and Axel. Is Ashton going to be okay?"

"He'll be alright as long as Viktor doesn't push him too hard. You don't need to worry yourself over any of this, dear, everything will be alright."

The way she said it reminded me of how many times I said the same thing knowing things wouldn't be alright. Telling myself that maybe today would be better than the day before when I knew for a fact it wouldn't be and there would be a new mark, a new scar, and a new memory that would haunt me for the rest of my life. It made me wonder who she was trying so hard to convince; herself or her children?

"Could I ask you something, Tabitha?" I asked quietly.

She nodded. "Of course, dearest."

"Would it be alright if I saw my brother or at least tell him what's going on? I miss him alot and I know he's probably worried sick right now."

She sat and thought for a moment before answering. "I don't think that's such a good idea right now, Krystal. If that man were to hear about where you were we would all be in danger. Once we get you up to Bar Harbor we can talk about getting you set up with a phone that won't display your number when you call someone. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

I shook my head, knowing she was right. "Don't be sorry, Tabitha, you're right. It would be a bad idea for me to try and call anyone."

"Why don't you go and get dressed? I'll go and talk to Naomi and see if I can't convince her to come along with us like we planned; maybe we can still make this a good day!"

"Alright, I'll meet you down here when I'm dressed."

"No rush, dearest, we have all day to go shopping and have a good day. Again, I do apologize for the way my husband has been acting lately; he's usually not this bad."

Without another word she walked out of the room and up the stairs. I followed not long after, taking my time to look at the paintings on the walls and how each one was painted with such careful brush strokes the the grass and waves almost looked like they were actually moving the way they would in real life.

"Having a good time so far," asked Drew as he walked over to me.

I shrugged. "I guess it's not too bad here but..."

"Don't get too comfortable here, Krystal. This isn't some kind of vacation or a getaway; and don't get too comfortable around Ashton either."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Shaking his head he hurried past me and down the stairs.

"Drew!" I called after him. "Can you for once give me a straight answer? I think you owe me that much after everything that's been going on."

He turned so quickly I almost bumped into him. "Don't even start, Krystal. I brought you someplace safe so you wouldn't get killed so as far as I'm concerned I don't owe you a damn thing so get the fuck out of my face and leave me alone."

"You told me you changed. You lied to me again!"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. The only thing you need to worry about is getting out of here so I'll have one less headache to deal with."

"You want me gone so badly? Fine, you'll get your wish; no problem."

There's a lot that can be said about Drew, but the fact he's malicious and sly is just the tip of the iceberg. Then there's the fact he's also self-indulgent, cruel and greedy, but fortunately they're mixed with behaviors of being captivating as well. But even the best intentions have been soured because of this and his thoughtlessness. Fair is fair though, Drew does have some brighter sides within the darkness; unfortunately his obnoxious nature is always there to ruin everything again. As I walked away to my room I instantly regretted ever trusting him knowing what he was like.

My head instantly clouded up again with thoughts of happier times when Drew was a friend and not an enemy. I wondered what made him like this and if things could ever be the same; but I knew already nothing could ever be the way it was. He had already proven to me that I made a mistake trusting him again after everything he had put us through. As much as I hated to say it, even Nikki wouldn't have stooped this low; she'll always be honest about how she feels about someone no matter how hurtful it can be. That realization alone was enough to make my stomach turn even more.

The door to my room squeaked as I opened it, the morning sunlight showing me for the first time just how beautiful it really was. Since Tabitha was probably almost ready to go, I decided to admire the room later so I didn't keep her waiting. Opening the closet I saw that it had already been stocked with some of the clothes I had seen in Naomi's room last night; she must have tossed some of her clothes in here when she came upstairs. Doing a quick once-over of all the clothes, I pulled out a pair of jeans and ripped up black sweater, tossing a grey tank-top under it so nothing showed. I had seen that Naomi had also put in a few pairs of shoes that ranged from sneakers all the way to platforms; she definitely had an amazing sense of style. I grabbed a pair of black sneakers, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and quickly did my makeup before walking out of the room.

I could faintly hear Drew's voice coming from downstairs, what sounded like a very heated argument going on. As I got closer I saw that he was on his phone. Our eyes met for a brief moment before I picked up the pace and hurried into the kitchen where Tabitha and Naomi were waiting; and just like I said before, Naomi has an amazing sense of style. Her dress covers her shoulders only barely with two spaghetti straps and flows down into a stylish court neckline. It's a loose fit which covers up her breasts, but does so without making it look awkward or messy. Her arms have been left uncovered; which not only helps accentuate her gorgeous skin, it also keeps the focus on other parts of the dress. The dress' waist is broad, but it's a comfortable fit. It's not decorated with anything in order to create a graceful, flowing look. Below the waist the dress widens and has an asymmetric draped style. The dress reaches to just below her knees and is the same length all around. She's wearing platforms, which adds simplicity and elegance; and to top it all off she's wearing a subtle necklace and an opulent bracelet. She looked beautiful.

She smiled at me. "It's good to see you like the clothes I put in the closet! I hope the shoes fit you. I didn't know what size you were so I just gave you one of everything in case some things fit better than others."

I nodded. "Your style is one to be appreciated, Naomi. Not many people I know have such a spot on sense of fashion."

She beamed. "Well I'm hoping to be a fashion designer one day so it's only natural that I keep my own closest up to date with everything."

Tabitha smiled and shook her head. "Are you girls ready to go? We have a lot of shopping to do and it's already almost noon."

I nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be!"

As we were about to walk out of the house, Naomi walked over to my side and linked her arm with mine; a large smile on both our faces. Even though I always thought of Amanda as my best friend, it felt like I had known Naomi forever. We already seemed to get along perfectly and had things in common; but I wasn't about to say that I knew for a fact that we would be best friends. Once we stepped outside the fresh air instantly filled my nose; the scent of roses and freshly cut grass filled the air. It was a warm day that almost felt like it could almost be considered summer or even early fall. We didn't usually have good weather like this, but when we did it was amazing and people took full advantage of it.

"Krystal," said Tabitha as she began to drive down the road. "I know this might be a silly question, but, how are you feeling today?"

"Honestly," I said with a small smile. "I actually feel good today. I mean, yeah, things aren't exactly going good right now but I'm finally out of that house and alive; so I guess that means it's a good day."

"I'm glad to hear you're doing better. Did you sleep well last night?"

"I think last night was the first time in years that I actually slept through the night without having to worry about anything bad happening."

She smiled softly but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned on the radio, the ride silent except for the music the rest of the time and a silence that for once wasn't filled with tension; today actually felt like it was going to be a good day.

†

If there was one thing I hated most, it was long distance trips with Dad and Collin. Mom had it in her head that I only hated them because I was being dramatic; but she didn't know the half of it. We were flying first class to the closest airport to Bar Harbor, where Dad had someone waiting to drive us the rest of the way, and the isles were already covered in empty alcohol bottles and a little bit of blood from a fight earlier. Collin was a lightweight when it came to drinking and he decided he wanted to 'mess around' with me while Dad was passed out on the floor. This wasn't the first time he had done this and what made it worse was that Dad already knew what had happened before, he probably even knew what happened today. The blood came from me making the mistake to fight back, forgetting that Collin always carried a small pocket knife with him.

The two of them were stretched out on some of the seats snoring loudly and hold a bottle in each hand. There's so much that can be said about my father, but the fact he's obsessive and brutal is just the start; there's also the fact he's just plain careless, extreme and irritable, and sadly there's nothing good I could ever say about him. Plenty of relationships came to a halt because of this and his abuse; even Naomi's mother fell victim to his cruelty once. Sadly, Naomi doesn't even know that my mother isn't her real mom and I doubt she ever will; probably for the best if I'm being honest here.

I wish I could say that the things that happened with Collin were new and had only just started happening, but it's been going on since I was a kid and always when he was sober and Dad was around. The things that I've been made to do and see are burned into my mind and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to forget or push the memories out of my head. The scars that cover most of my body are a testament of everything I've dealt with my whole life. From things that happened with Collin to the death of my brother, everything can be seen on my body; each scar telling its own story. Some deeper than others. Two of the deepest ones happened almost at the same point in time; my brother's death and Veronica's betrayal.

I had imagined everything with her from our wedding day to the family that we could have had together. Every fantasy you could ever have about someone I had about only her. We had been together for years, obviously having our problems now and again, but it was almost like we were made for each other. She knew all of my secrets, my dreams, and who I wanted to be one day. I had made the mistake of trusting her with every fiber of my being and it ended up being my downfall the day I found that she had been sleeping with my brother for almost a year. That last fight still fresh in my mind as if it had only happened yesterday and her last remark was that I could never be man enough to please her the way Tristan could.

That was the day I died completely and the day after my brother's murder.

Dad groaned and rolled onto the floor with a loud thud, never once waking up or even noticing the sudden fall. I shook my head and put my headphones on, Evanescence blasting into my ears taking me into my own world; one where for once I could be happy with someone who loved me as much as I loved them.

†

The shopping trip had gone on longer than we had planned, but it seemed to be just the thing we all needed to take our minds off of everything that had been happening. Tabitha had even bought herself a bunch of new clothes, shoes, and makeup from a few places we had gone to. We had just gotten some food and were about to sit when an all too familiar voice called out my name. Turning around I saw the one and only Nikki Sutton with Drew once again by her side.

"What a surprise seeing you here," she snarled as she got in my face. "You know something, Krystal? The fact that you just up and left only proves my point that you're just a weak little brat."

Ignoring her, I looked over at Drew. "Is this really happening right now, Drew? You're really going back to being her plaything? I thought you meant what you said!"

Tabitha put her hand on my shoulder. "Come one, Krystal, you don't need any of this right now. As for you, Drew, you can forget coming back to my home anytime soon after what you've done. I hope it was worth it."

Nikki flipped her hair over her shoulder, a smirk on her face. "You're really having someone else fight your battles, Krystal? That's pretty bad even for you."

"Why can't you just leave me alone, Nikki?" I asked. "What did I ever do to make you hate me so much anyway?"

She scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't need a reason to not like you. You just think that you're something special that no one will ever understand but you're nothing; and if I'm being completely honest with you, why would anyone want to understand you? You walk around with your head on the ground like some lost puppy waiting for someone to come save them."

Naomi wasted no time in getting into her face and shoving her back.. "How about you get out of here and leave my friend alone before I take my heel and shove it so far up you'll have to go to the E.R! No one likes a spoiled brat ruining their fun time so why don't you just get out of here while you can."

"Who the heck do you think you are anyway?!"

"The name's Naomi Hawthorne and you're seriously messing with the wrong person right now."

Nikki's face suddenly went from angry to horrified. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were a Hawthorne. Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot here, don't you? Why don't we all hang out?!"

Naomi chuckled. "I knew it. You're just a gold digging little brat. There's no way I'd ever hang out with someone like you after what you just did to my friend."

Not bothering to hear what she said, the three of us began to walk to the entrance of the mall, food in hand to eat in the car.

"Who was that girl?" asked Naomi once we were outside.

I sighed. "Nikki Sutton; she's the girl who pretty much rules the school and sleeps with every guy she can. Drew just happens to be her latest victim."

Tabitha shook her head. "That boy is going to get himself into trouble one day if he continues spending time with people like her. How long has he been seeing that girl, Krystal?"

I shook my head. "Before all this he told me he was done with her because he loved me. I don't know how long they've been together but at this point I really don't care anymore."

Tabitha opened her mouth as if to say something but quickly closed it again, walking ahead of us to the car. It was now almost completely dark, the moon shining bright with black clouds rolling to cover it up until it left no trace that it had been there a moment before. Naomi didn't say a word on our way back to the house, instead she put her headphones on and listened to whatever was on her phone while Tabitha drove in silence. Looking out the window I wondered what Jack was doing and if Mom or Axel had tried to talk to him since I left with the hopes that he knew where I was.

I wanted to look over more of the papers that I had found in the safe but had decided to wait until I was out of here and in Bar Harbor so I could look at them without anyone seeing them. It still seemed strange that Axel had kept the one I wanted at the top of the pile, almost as if he knew I'd be looking in there. Whoever was sending Axel those emails must not have cared much about getting caught if someone checked their computer. It was things like this that made me fear Axel; he was as uncaring as whoever the sender of those messages and as unpredictable as a hurricane. My thoughts stopped almost instantly when we pulled up to the house and a black car was sitting in front of the house.

Tabitha shook her head. "Naomi, darling, it seems we have company tonight."

Naomi's head shot up. "Who's here this late?"

"It appears the Sawyers have decided to pay us another visit. Krystal, dear, should anything unpleasant be said don't worry. The Sawyers are...an interesting family to say the least and have been known to stop by every now and then. We usually just let them stay for tea and make small talk but they have been known to lose their temper; well, mostly Veronica."

I nodded, stepping out of the car and following Tabitha and Naomi into the house where a well dressed man and woman were standing there waiting with a girl about nineteen next to them.

The woman smiled as she walked over to Tabitha. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming home, darling! You know, it's rude to keep your guests waiting."

Tabitha forced a smile. "I would have come home sooner had I known you were coming, Blair. Why don't we talk about what brings you all here over a hot cup of tea and some hot chocolate? Come, sit in the living room and make yourselves comfortable while I get everything ready. Krystal, why don't you come help me with the hot chocolate."

Blair shook her head. "Nonsense, Tabby, she can come sit with us! You can't possibly expect me to not be curious about this new face! I'm Naomi here could help you in the kitchen."

The man beside her shook his head and stepped forward. "Blair, we've no time for tea; we need to talk business, Tabitha and we need to talk now. Let's all go sit down and talk before it gets late. Veronica, I expect you to be on your best behaviour."

The raven haired girl smiled wickedly at me. "I will, Daddy, don't worry."

Tabitha sighed and led us all into the living room, the three of them sitting across from us with stern expressions on their face.

Blair was the first to speak. "We would like to rearrange Veronica and Ashton's engagement, Tabitha. I understand that this may come as an inconvenience to you and while I'm not sure where Viktor is presently, I feel as though he would agree with me."

"You expect me to hand my son over to you after what your daughter did to him? Blair, you can't possibly be serious right now! He was beside himself when he found out what she was doing to him; there's no way I'm agreeing to this."

The man beside Blair sighed. "Tabitha, I realize this is a very unusual request but you must consider the outcome this marriage will have. Our families will become united as well as become the most powerful."

"I'm afraid I'll have to stand by what I've already said, Marcus. I'll also have you know that Ashton isn't even here to put in his opinion; although I'm sure he would refuse as well. I think it's best that you find a new husband for your daughter and leave my sons alone."

Blair scowled. "We wouldn't even dream of having Veronica marry Tristan if he were the last man standing. A boy like that is nothing but trouble and my little girl doesn't need that sort of drama."

"May I remind you that Tristan is my son and I will not have you insult him while in my home.

Veronica smiled again. "Mrs. Hawthorne, I know what I did was completely unforgivable but you have to understand that I've changed; Ash and I could have that perfect life you've always wanted for him!"

"Veronica," said Tabitha sharply. "I don't care if you have the blessings of God on your side; you will never marry my son and you will never hurt him again. Now, I think it's about time you all took your leave."

"Just a moment," snapped Marcus. "I know why you don't want Veronica to marry Ashton; you've already given his hand to this little harlot!"

Veronica's smile quickly vanished and was replaced with a look that would put even the bravest of men in a corner. She stood quickly and was in front of me before I could blink.

"Who do you think you are taking him away from me?" she growled as she yanked me from the chair.

I shook my head. "You have the wrong idea! I hardly even know Ashton; we honestly just met!"

"Liar! You're trying to take what's mine and I won't let that happen. I don't know who the hell you are or what your goal is, but Ashton will be mine and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen."

"Veronica!" yelled Tabitha as she pulled her off me. "Krystal is just a child and has no part in any of this business whether you want to believe it or not! You have no right to lay a hand on her or claim my son as your husband. I suggest you and your parents leave at once before I call the police and tell them what you did to my guest."

Veronica stormed off, turning her head to look at me. "You'll pay for this, Krystal."

Marcus and Blair watched in silence with us as Veronica stormed outside, slamming the door behind her.

"Tabby," said Blair quickly. "I had no idea she was going to react this way, you have to believe that."

Tabitha held her hand up. "I don't need to believe a thing from you, Blair. From the moment this engagement even happened you allowed your daughter to become what she is by letting her even believe Ashton belonged to her. Her reaction tonight was as unsurprising as you even being here to talk about this mess."

Marcus sighed and handed her a small card. "Should you change your mind about this whole affair, please give me a call and we can make arrangements. As for you, Krystal, I suggest you stay out of things that don't involve you; there could be grave consequences if you don't."

As they walked out of the room, a chill went down my spine all the way down to my toes. I had always hated being threatened by someone but for some reason this guy just gave me the full on creeps when he said that; his tone so calm it was scary. I looked over to ask Tabitha what had just happened, but she was already making her way up the stairs with Naomi following close behind her.

"I think you should get some rest, Krystal," she said quietly. "We are going to get your things ready tomorrow and activate your phone in the morning. I do hope you sleep well, dearest, and I'm deeply sorry for what you just saw."

Deciding to just keep quiet, I made my way up the stairs to my room, more questions than before now entering my mind. Maybe Marcus was right; I shouldn't get involved with their business if it doesn't involve me. Pulling back the covers, I settled into bed and closed my eyes waiting for sleep to finally take over. After what seemed like forever, my eyes finally felt heavy and the darkness I longed for finally came over me.

†

For the most part, everything as far as decorating and painting were going according to plan and actually almost done. The only issue was the mess that Dad and Collin had made in the master bedroom over the past few days. Bottles were all across the floor and the room smelled like cheap alcohol with a faint metallic smell from a little bit of blood from when Collin slammed my face into the wall; luckily the paint color I was using covered to stains perfectly. Mom had called a few hours ago telling me that Krystal's things were packed and her flight would be coming at noon tomorrow; giving Dad and Collin enough time to get on their flights tonight so I could re-clean the master bedroom for the seventh time. She had also told me that Veronica and her parents had stopped by a few nights ago to try and get our engagement back where it was.

I knew Blair well enough to know that that argument was one I'm glad to have missed given the fact that the wedding would have been more for her than Veronica just because she would have planned everything from the colors to what foods would be there and to who would be sitting with who at the dinner. Veronica on the other hand could have cared less about the wedding since she was mostly just in for it for the extra money; not that she needed any more money than she had now. Thankfully Mom actually valued my opinion on it and made sure to defend me when Blair kept pushing it. Normally I would have been all for the idea of getting married to someone, if it was out of love, but Dad and Marcus had arranged the engagement as a sort of business deal to join our families and money so they both had a stronger hold on things.

I loved Veronica, but even I knew that she was never going to feel the same way for me like I did with her; she proved that once she slept with my brother. Luckily she doesn't have any siblings because Dad would be planning Naomi's engagement as soon as mine ended just to keep the deal on track. I wasn't sure what hurt more; the fact that my engagement was just a business deal or that my opinion never even mattered to him in the first place. Letting out a frustrated breath, I set my paint brush down and walked to the kitchen to make something to eat. We didn't have much food since I would be going shopping with Krystal once she got here so I settled for some instant noodles and a grilled cheese sandwich. The grilled cheese only took a few minutes to make so I began to eat that while the noodles cooked. As I was eating, Dad and Collin walked into the room.

Collin smiled over at me. "Weren't you gonna make us something to eat, Ash?"

I sighed. "You guys were sleeping and you told me before not to wake you up so I made myself something."

SMACK!

Dad stood over me with a deep scowl on his face. "Don't disrespect our guest, Ashton. You should have made something regardless of if we were sleeping or not."

I wiped my mouth, blood covering my hand, and stood up before swinging my arm and connecting my fist with his jaw watching as blood dripped from his mouth. Tristan was the favorite and never once felt Dad's punch; I both hated and envied him at the same time for that. For years I was the one who he always came to with his anger, never once hesitating about hitting his own son and covering it up in front of his wife with a smile; but I guess he didn't care much about her anyway if he went off with a different girl at least a few times a week.

He looked up at me, eyes dark and a smile that made my skin crawl. "You're going to pay for that, boy!"

He walked closer to me and grabbed my arms, slamming my face into the wall. I fought back, trying my hardest to get out of his grip, but soon Collin was right behind him helping him hold me against the wall. Dad let out a scoff and before I knew it, I was slammed face down onto the floor, my nose and mouth bleeding more all over the floor. Dad held my arms down with one hand and with the other held my head to the floor.

He then looked up at Collin. "I think he needs to be taught a lesson, Collin, wouldn't you agree?"

Collin chuckled, the sound of his belt clicking undone. "He sure does; he's been a bad little boy."

I squirmed again, trying harder to get loose. "Dad! Please don't do this! Please, I'm sorry!"

He chuckled. "If you aren't sorry now, boy, you're going to be."

I could feel Collin against me, when he had pulled my jeans down I didn't know, but I knew what was going to happen and the fact that my own father was helping him made it worse. My eyes widened as I felt the pain rush through my body, Dad and Collin both laughing.

"Stop! Please, Dad!" I screamed again and again; neither of them even noticing.


	4. Chapter 4

I looked over at Tabitha and Naomi, giving each of them one more wave goodbye before walking onto the plane. I was finally able to tell Jack what was going on once my phone was connected. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of me going to a different state but he understood why I was going and was thankful that I would be having someone there with me; he had also made me promise to call him as soon as my plane landed or he would call the police. He had asked why I didn't just tell the cops what was going on now, but I didn't have a good answer for that; all I knew was that I needed time to look over those messages from whoever Axel was talking to and find out what else he had done and how many other families he had destroyed.

Tabitha had been nice enough to book my flight on the first class section, something I had always wanted to do, so it wasn't as crowded like the other sections. She had also put in a word with someone higher up that I was allowed to have whatever I wanted while on the flight and it would all be paid for. Viktor and his friend had come home just as we were about to leave; he seemed a little distracted about something and didn't talk much to Tabitha when she tried asking what was wrong. The most he said was that the house was ready, cleaned and painted and that I would be going shopping with Ashton to stock up on some food since there wasn't much there.

I took my seat and listened to the woman talk about what to do in the event of an emergency before putting my headphones on and watching as the plane took off. I never used to like heights when I was younger, but I was glad that I overcame it and was now able to look out the window at the view. The trees grew smaller as we went higher and soon enough we were completely above the clouds; a sight that I could describe even if I wanted to. I was so lost in the view outside that I hadn't noticed one of the flight attendants standing next to my seat.

I pulled my headphones off and smiled over at her. "I'm sorry about that, I was just caught up in the clouds; it's my first time flying."

She smiled back and shook her head. "No need to apologize; I remember my first flight like it was yesterday! Is there anything I can get for you? We have plenty of drinks and snacks if you're interested."

"Sure! I'll have a water and maybe a bag of sour cream chips if you have any."

She nodded once before walking away to talk to another passenger. The flight would last a few hours, giving me time to either sleep a little bit or read one of the books I brought with me. Reaching down I pulled up my bag and dug until I found the stack of emails and papers I had taken. Some of them were for fake passports, ID cards, and dozens of credit cards; all of them put under different names. Looking over my shoulder I noticed a man two rows back staring at me with a small scowl on his face. I quickly shoved the papers back into the bag, switching it for my sketchbook and pencils. Opening to a blank page, I let my hand take over and draw what it wanted.

The face of a person soon became clearer as I added more details, some subtle while others you couldn't miss. One of which being the shoulder length hair framing the face with soft curls while a set of intense, yet saddened, eyes stared back from the paper they were drawn on. I let out a small sigh and closed the book, leaning my head against the window. The flight attendant came back not long after with a can of cola and a bag of chips.

"Let me know if there's anything else I can get for you," she said with a smile.

I smiled back up at her. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

I took a small sip of my drink before resting my head against the window. Closing my eyes I tried to picture what it would be like in Bar Harbor. Tabitha and Naomi talked about a village like town surrounded by a large ocean with a blue sky above it without a single cloud in sight and birds flying overhead while the smell of the ocean and blooming flowers filled your nose. It had been years since I had been to the ocean or even had a little getaway trip; I just wished that this was a more pleasant trip. Dad had taken us to the ocean a few months before he died to celebrate Jack's acceptance into his first choice college, Mom was even with us then and things seemed like they were going to be fine; they had even stopped fighting for once. Putting my headphones back on, I closed my eyes and prepared to sleep for the remainder of the flight.

~

Bursts of searing pain pulsed through my head. My head felt heavy and I could feel dizziness starting to kick in. The pain subsided at times, only to flare up again and with seemingly increased intensity. I took a moment to gather their thoughts, but even this proved a hassle and a pain as conflicting thoughts corrupted my mind. I tried my hardest to ignore the pain and focus on both continuing with what I needed to be doing while still allowing the injuries to heal. I told myself it would be over soon, whether that was true or not was irrelevant as it gave me the necessary strength to deal with it nonetheless. Dad and Collin had left me on the floor covered in my own blood once someone came to get them and I could hardly find the strength to pick myself up off the floor. I only had about an hour and a half before Krystal's plane was supposed to land so I needed to get cleaned up as best I could before getting her.

My vision went blurry as tears filled my eyes. Biting the pain was barely an option as agonizing cramps seemed to crush my insides from within. Desperate for some form of relief I sought out every solution I could think of. Ignoring it, working through it, using it to fuel strength; but nothing seemed to work. I pressed my hands against the floor and began to push myself up. One deep breath followed another, surely this pain could be ignored if I tried hard enough. Once I was standing, I managed to pull up my now torn boxers and climb out of my jeans; they would need to be washed in bleach or something to get the stains out. Then again, maybe I'll just throw them in the trash.

I made my way to the bathroom, grabbing a clean pair of clothes as I walked into my room and closing the door to the bathroom. The bathrooms had just been cleaned yesterday and the smell of bleach was still strong enough to make the room smell like you were at a swimming pool. Turing on the water, I slowly stripped out of my torn up clothes and tossed them into the trash can before stepping into the hot water. The water burned against the cuts that covered my body in a way that made me want to scream, yet it felt breathtakingly wonderful at the same time; maybe it was because I was controlling the pain instead of someone else. If I was ever to be honest with myself or anyone else, I'd probably feel better if I was the one destroying my body instead of someone else.

Grabbing the bottle of soap I began to wash my body and hair as quickly as possible, ignoring the burning that came from the soap touching the cuts. Once rinsed off, I grabbed the towel that hung next to the shower door and dried off. I looked in the mirror and saw that my bottom lip was bust open and that my left eye was already starting to turn black. As much as I wanted to, I didn't have the time or the make up strong enough to cover it up like I normally would. I had about fifteen minutes left to get ready before I would need to pick up Krystal so I tossed on my shirt, pulling my thin black sweater over it followed by my faded gray jeans. A big part of my wanted to just tell Krystal that I'd have a cab come and pick her up just to give me more time to fix up my face and look more presentable...but doing that would bring questions from her and possibly Mom or Naomi and that was something I wasn't in the mood to deal with just now or ever if I had anything to say about it.

Thankfully the weather was on my side and it was bright enough that I could wear my sunglasses and not have to worry about people looking at my eye. I grabbed my phone, quickly noticing that Veronica had sent me an essay worth of text messages and around thirty calls since I had showered; her persistence has always been something that astounded me. As I was about to leave the house, she called again as if knowing I was free for the moment.

"What do you want, Veronica?" I snapped.

She let out a small laugh, sounding unimpressed. "Well aren't we grumpy this morning. I just wanted to talk and see if maybe we couldn't work something out; I really miss you, Ash."

It was my turn to laugh now. "If you think I'm gonna believe you that easily you've got another thing coming; I mean you slept with my brother."

"You know most people would be begging for me to take them back, Ashton, so I really don't want to beg; you should be glad I'm giving you another chance."

"Do you hear yourself, Veronica? You were the one who messed things up because you couldn't keep your legs closed. You were the one who should be begging me to take you back, not the other way around. If you seriously think I'm gonna forgive what you've done and pretend things are good again then you're more messed up than I thought."

She stayed quiet for a while, almost sounding as if she had hung up. Just as I was about to hang up she let out a sigh.

"You're right, Ash, I messed up big time and here I am trying to make you feel like the bad guy. I can't take back what I did but I can try and at least be better than that. I shouldn't be telling you to be the one begging when I'm the one who owes you a serious apology, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you the way I did and then acting like it was your fault. I'm not asking you to forgive me right away; I don't deserve that."

"Look, Veronica, can you give me a few hours to think about this? I have to go do a few things and I just need to clear my head."

"Sure, Ash, why don't you call me around seven thirty and we can talk more. Sound alright?"

"I can't promise it'll be exactly then but I'll call you as soon as I can."

Without giving her a chance to argue any further I ended the call and got into the car, driving down to the airport with the radio playing some crappy pop song in the background. The idea of what needed to be done today had me almost wishing I had called a cab for Krystal so she could go to the store herself, but sadly there were things I had to help her with; the biggest things were taking her to her future job site and then taking her to the high school to get her class schedule. The ideal solution was to just have someone tutor her while she worked, but for one reason or another Mom had called me saying that wasn't going to happen and she was now enrolled at Edgewater High School.

Sadly the drive to the airport wasn't as long as I had hoped it would be so I tried taking my time in order to not be too early; as fate would have it I arrived almost fifteen minutes early. People walked in and out of the parking lot quickly almost walking into my car a few times, one man had even gone so far as to flip me off because he was busy texting instead of paying attention to where he was walking, almost getting himself killed. Parking was always the hardest part about any real airport; you either managed to find a spot quickly or drive around in circles until someone finally leaves like I was doing.

"Why do people have to come to this specific airport today?" I mumbled. "It's like everyone and their friend decided to take a trip!"

After my fifth circle around the parking lot, I finally found a spot, while further from the door than I wanted, had finally opened up. Parking the car, I carefully got out and began walking to the entrance. People were hurrying past me, trying to get to wherever they were going as fast as possible, one woman actually bumping into me but still moving as though she had passed through air instead of another person all while pulling her small child along with her. A few cars were sitting in front of the entrance doors to drop off someone in their car or to pick someone else up; or maybe even both.

Upon getting into the airport lobby, the outside seemed peaceful compared to all the commotion inside. Parents were trying their best to keep their obviously bored children from running all over the place while trying to talk to whoever they were seeing or saying goodbye to. One child managed to even slip past his mother's radar and began to pull the hair of another little girl standing a few feet away from him, causing her to let out an ear shattering scream and her mother yelling at the boys mother for not controlling her son better. It was seeing things like this that made me never want to have children in my life; and if I did they wouldn't dare behave like the ones in front of me.

"Attention, everyone," said a female voice over the speakers. "Flight 286 will be landing at gate 12C instead of 6A. We apologize for any inconvenience this brings you."

She repeated the message once more before the speakers began playing the terrible country radio station again. Sighing, I started to make my way to the stairs to get to the upper level of the airport. Krystal's flight happened to be 286 and the upper floor was known for being a bit more chaotic than the downstairs level and the outside combined. Thankfully it was landing so we wouldn't need to be here any longer than necessary. The upper floor was filled with various gift shops for people who wanted to pick up something for family back home as well as four coffee shops and two fast food places. The combined smells of the stores along with that of the people made for something you couldn't possibly describe; the most that would come to mind is gut-wrenchingly terrible to the point of wanting to throw up.

"Ashton? Is that you?" came a soft voice.

Turning around I saw Krystal standing in front of me. "Hey, Krystal, how was your flight?"

She shrugged and smiled. "It was alright I suppose. I honestly slept most of the time though. I only knew when to get up because of a rough landing we had. Are you alright? You look a little pale."

I nodded a little too quickly. "Yeah, don't worry about me I'm fine. So are you hungry? We could go and grab some lunch before we head to the store if you want."

"I'm pretty hungry. The most I had on the plane was some chips and a soda."

"Well let's get you something to eat then. Is there anything specific you wanna eat?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "I really want a cheeseburger. Would that be alright?"

"Of course, you don't need to ask."

"I promise I'll return the favor once I start working again!"

"There's no need for that, Krystal, trust me."

She smiled softly, a small blush spreading across her cheeks while her eyes quickly looked to the ground. For a moment, my heart sped up and time seemed to slow down. I mentally slapped myself. No way! I'm not about to start catching feelings for her like some sappy romance novel. If anything, what's going on right now is all because of my talk with Veronica and the crap that happened with Dad and Collin. Shaking it off, we began our walk down the stairs to get her bags before going through the crowds of people, and out to the car. Once her bags were loaded into the back of the car we drove in silence down the road.

"Can I ask you something, Ashton?" she said softly.

"You can call me Ash. And sure, what's on your mind?"

She looked down at the backpack on her lap. "I don't know who else I can really trust about this, but, I need help figuring out why Axel killed my dad and who is behind it all."

"What makes you think someone is behind it?"

"It's a lot to explain but I wanna talk about it when we get to the house if that's alright with you."

"Sure, I don't have a problem with that."


	5. Chapter 5

The fact that I had just asked Ashton for help had even me surprised. I wasn't fully sure if I could trust him with this, but I needed someone to help me figure it all out. I wasn't even sure myself why I wanted to keep digging into all of these deaths, just that I knew I needed to so the other victims could have some justice done for them or even have their stories told. My eyes watched the road ahead of us, cars passing each other with someone occasionally cutting someone else off and people on the sidewalks going in and out of small shops filled with things you would expect any typical tourist to buy for a family member or friend back home. The most distinctive thing about the area was the strong smell of the ocean a few feet ahead of us. There were boats both small and large going onto the water with their traps ready as well as passengers on the tour ships taking as many pictures of the water and mountains as they possibly could.

Ashton pulled the car into a spot near the water before letting out a small sigh. "Well, we're here. Welcome to Bar Harbor, Krystal."

I smiled over at him. "It's really lovely; a little more crowded than I prefer, but it's beautiful."

"Let's go grab something to eat. There's a few nice places around here to eat at so I'll show you what there is and you can pick which one you wanna go to. Sound like a plan?"

I nodded. "Sure, that's sounds good to me."

The air when we got out of the car was cool, almost warm, but since we were close to the ocean the temperature wasn't as warm as it normally would be for this time of month. The wind was blowing just hard enough that you wanted to at least wear a light sweater while you walked; luckily Ashton and I were prepared for that and each had a summer hoodie with us. I followed close behind him up a small hill taking in the sights around us as well as the people walking by. Some you could tell weren't from here just by the way they acted while others just casually walked with their groups taking pictures of themselves every few feet.

For one reason or another, it always made me jealous seeing people with their friends or a boyfriend. Not the kind that would make me angry like most people, just a little sad due to not knowing what it was like to have something like that. The closest I had ever come to something like that is when Jack and I would hang out before he met his girlfriend. We used to be to peas in a pod at one point in time. Pulling out my phone, I saw that he still hadn't answered the text I sent him saying I had landed. Either he was busy or he just didn't really care at this point.

Ashton slowed his pace when we came up to our first option. "This place is known for having just about everything including seafood if you're into that. It's not a bad place and is honestly the better option than the other ones if you ask me."

Looking at the building I nodded. "I like this place. Why don't we just eat here and save us the trip?"

He nodded before gesturing to the door. "Alright then, after you."

Walking in we were immediately met with the smell of seafood. Personally I couldn't stand to eat the stuff but the smell wasn't half bad. The decor was a fitting nautical theme with a few novelty license plates and other things on the walls. People were talking loudly while some children walked around the crowded building while their parents tried to enjoy their lunch. A woman appearing in her early to mid thirties walked over to us with a semi-genuine smile on her face.

"Table for two?" she asked as she grabbed a few menus.

Ashton nodded. "Yes, please."

We followed her to a table close to the back of the building where she set down the menus.

"I'll give you both a minute to look it over and see what you'd like," she said before walking over to another table.

Ashton picked up his menu and began looking it over. "You can get whatever you want, Krystal, don't worry about anything."

I nodded. "Thank you. Can I ask why you're still wearing your sunglasses? We're inside and there aren't any windows in this spot."

His face went white for a moment before he shook his head. "It's a personal problem; I don't want you to be concerned with it."

"I understand, but, if you wanna talk about anything I'll listen."

He stayed silent, his eyes looking down but clearly not really reading what was on the menu, almost as though he was thinking about what to say next. A small sigh escaped from him before he reached up and took off his sunglasses, revealing a swollen black eye.

"Ashton, what happened?" I asked softly.

He shook his head. "It's nothing I'm not used to at this point honestly. Me and my father have never gotten along and he tends to take things out on me; especially if his friend Collin is around. Don't worry about it, I don't need you feeling sorry for me. I don't mean to sound like a jerk but you've got your own problems right now and don't need to dwell on my issues."

"How long has this been going on? Why hasn't your mom done anything?"

"She doesn't know about anything he does to me and I intend to keep it that way. Their marriage is already falling apart without her knowing about this crap. As for how long, it's been a thing for as long as I can remember. He started drinking and then hanging around Collin more and before I knew what was going on his beatings became a daily thing most times. If I'm lucky it's a weekly or monthly thing."

My mouth opened but instantly closes when the waitress approached the table with a notebook in her hand.

"Have you decided on anything to drink?" she asked, her fake smile still plastered on her face.

Ashton nodded. "I'll just have plain water and the steak sandwich."

She nodded before turning to me.

"I'll have a cola and a plain cheeseburger with bacon please."

She nodded, scribbling down our order before turning away with the menus in hand. Knowing it would be a while before any of the food came out I reached down and pulled up my bag, taking a few of the emails out and handing them over to Ashton.

"I found these just before I ran out of the house," I explained. "Axel always had this key with him and I managed to get it from him. What I found odd though was that the email about my dad's murder was on the top of the stack. It was almost too obvious if you ask me."

He looked at the papers quickly, his expression changing as he turned the pages. "Some of these were on the news. These were cases no one could really figure out or were written off as a suicide depending on the situation even if no one believed that. Maybe he purposely put that email on the top so you would find it? What's his name again? I'll do some research on him and see what I can dig up; someone like this is bound to have a record somewhere."

"His name is Axel Summers. I don't know what his middle name is or anything else. He wasn't a very open person."

Ashton shook his head. "Someone like this wouldn't want to get too familiar with anyone even if they did marry the person. Whoever is behind this obviously has some kind of leverage or else Axel would have gone rouge a long time ago; these emails are incredibly detailed in what he was supposed to do and, aside from one task, he performed his jobs to the letter. My question right now is what the suicide was that he seemed to mess up big time. Maybe that has something to do with why he's still doing whatever this person wants. I do have one other theory if you wanna hear it."

I nodded. "Of course."

He paused for a moment. "Your father's death is the last one Axel was made to do and from what I saw, it's the only one that mentions a suicide mission. What exactly did your dad do for a living?"

"He did housework mostly but for a while he was a police detective. He hated the job but he was one of the best on his team; he was able to solve a lot of cases while he was there. Why do you ask?"

"Maybe your dad was investigating some of these cases, or more importantly, the suicide case. If he was, maybe he found something and whoever is giving the orders found out and told Axel to end it to keep things quiet. Maybe he knew too much."

He quickly handed the emails back just before the waitress came back with the plate of food and the drinks.

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you," she said. Her tone implying that we should try not to bother her if we could help it.

We ate in silence, my mind thinking over everything Ashton had just said. It had never crossed my mind to wonder if Dad had ever investigated any of these cases. Then again, he never liked talking about his work at the station much anyway. He had always said it was too depressing to even think about when he was home. Some nights I would even find him crying over a case, most of the time about a child kidnapping and they found either a body or they found them alive and he was just happy; most times though it was usually a body. Mom hated that job more than anything; back when they were still happy at least. It always made her mad when he stayed out late or had to up and leave to go in to work. Maybe that's why everything started to crumble between them.

By the time the waitress had come back we had already finished our food, drinks, and were more than ready to leave.

"Do either of you want dessert?" she asked.

Ashton shook his head as he handed her his credit card. "No thank you, we really need to be going."

She nodded and walked off with the card.

"Are you alright, Ash?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. I've just never seen a waitress that doesn't care much about good service. It honestly pretty surprising if you ask me."

"Maybe she's just having a bad day or something."

His only response was a soft hum. The card was put back down on the table along with two copies of the receipt. Quickly scribbling a five dollar tip, we walked out of the building and down the street. There were a few stores that looked like they might be interesting, but upon closer inspection were just filled with overpriced things only a tourist would buy. I had to give it to these people though, they really knew how to sell things you normally wouldn't look twice at; moose and lobster objects being one thing you couldn't go without seeing since they were in every store you went in.

"How far away is the house we're staying at?" I asked as we kept walking.

"It isn't too far from here," he answered. "I'm just bringing you to the coffee shop you'll be working at so you can meet your boss and then we'll head to the store to stock up on food."

I nodded, trying my best to match his pace. The coffee shop wasn't as big as the one I used to work in. It was smaller and built with bricks, giving it an old classic feel. The inside was decorated like you would normally expect; couches and chairs spread out as well as tables in the middle of it all with a large bar to order from in the back with a menu overhead. It honestly wasn't too bad of a place.

Ashton walked us over to the bar counter. "I need to speak with your manager please; tell them Ashton Hawthorn is here with Krystal Nightingale."

The girl smiled and nodded. "I'll be right back so please have a seat."

Taking a seat on one of the sofas, Ashton's phone began to ring. The screen flashed and showed a picture of a girl with long black hair and jade colored eyes. I instantly recognized her as Ashton's former fiancee. His face showed a blank expression as he quickly looked over her message, sending a short response and sliding his phone into his pocket. His eyes locked with mine for a moment with a look that told me not to mention that I had seen her face.

"Are you Ashton?" came a sharp female voice.

Ashton cringed before answering . "May I ask who you are?"

The girl clicked her tongue. "I'm Emily and I'm manager of the store. I was told you were here because of a job?"

"I was told that I would be talking with someone else about this situation."

She sighed and shook her head. "Our store manager is currently on his lunch and he doesn't like to be bothered with interviews unless he needs to be involved."

"This isn't about an interview. I'm not about to talk to you about this; don't take it personal because this has nothing to do with you. If you would be so kind, please go inform your boss that Ashton Hawthorn is here and if he refuses then tell him I'm not afraid to make a few calls. He'll know exactly what I'm talking about."

Eyes wide, Emily quickly made her way down the hall.

"Was that really necessary to snap at her?" I asked looking over at him.

He shook his head. "He knew we were coming today so whatever she was trying to pull was her trying to look good for her boss. Aside from that I'm not exactly in the best of moods."

Nodding once, I looked back at the hall just as a man in his thirties came out with Emily following close behind him; a slightly angered look on his face.

"Mister Hawthorn, I'm deeply sorry about the confusion here. Emily here would like to apologize if that's alright with you."

Ashton shook his head. "No apology is necessary so long as this doesn't happen again."

Emily nodded. "I promise it won't happen again, Mister Hawthorn, you have my word. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Just some water for myself and my friend please, Emily. If you would be so kind would you bring it to Ben's office? We have a lot to discuss."

Emily walked off, leaving the three of us alone. The man looked at Ashton and let out a sigh before motioning for us to follow him to his office.

"I apologize again for Emily's behavior; she's been trying to take control for quite some time now and it's starting to become a real problem," he explained as we entered the room.

Ashton shrugged. "I suggest you remind her who is in control then, Ben, or you might have a real problem on your hands one day. Employees like that usually cause the most trouble after a while of getting away with it."

He nodded. "I suppose you're right. Now then, I'm going to go ahead and assume that this young lady is Miss Nightingale?"

Looking up at him I smiled. "I can answer for myself, sir, and yes you would be right to assume that, however, you can just call me Krystal."

He chuckled. "Well then, Krystal, it's nice to have you with our company. I've heard nothing but good things from your last place of employment as well as from Ashton's family. Now I know you'll be in school while you're staying so we can easily work your work schedule around all that. Obviously you'll have weekends off just as you would during the school week so you have time to relax and do whatever you need to do with your free time. You'll be training with my best employee, Oliver Pierce, and he will show you everything there is to know. Now, as for your situation, Mrs. Hawthorn has filled me in on what she called need-to-know details. I assure you that no one will be made aware of your location."

"Thank you," I replied. "That makes me feel a lot more comfortable about this whole thing."

He smiled before turning to Ashton. "Now then, is there anything further we need to discuss?"

"When will she be starting work?" he asked.

"Next Monday right after she gets off school. She starts at four o'clock and will be off at eleven sharp. I'll be sure to send a copy of her schedule with her for your records of course."

Ashton nodded, looking over at me. "I know this seems a bit excessive, but if something does happen I need to get you out quickly. I hope you understand where I'm coming from, Krystal."

I nodded, knowing exactly what his reasons were. "Don't worry, Ashton, I completely understand. I probably would be the same way if I was in your shoes."

"I'm glad you understand. We should get going now; we have a lot to do. Ben, thank you for seeing us and, again, make sure you take care of that problem with Emily. A girl with that much attitude will cause you problems with your customers."

He nodded, a small smile on his face. "I assure you I'll take care of the situation and she will be a model employee. You both have a nice day now and enjoy your stay here, Miss Nightingale."

I waved goodbye and followed Ashton out of the office, catching Emily standing there out of the corner of my eye with a glare on her face. That moment alone already told me that Emily was now about to become another Nikki Sutton. I could only hope that the person training me would be friendly, or at the very least not bother with me unless it had to do with work. Peeking over at Ashton I noticed his expression had changed from one of anger to a much softer, almost saddened, look. His glasses were back on his face, covering the nasty black eye his father had given him. I so badly wanted to reach out to him and tell him that things could get better, but I didn't even believe that myself.

As we made our way back to the car, I found my thoughts wandering back home and what was going on with Amanda and where Drew was now. Probably off somewhere with Nikki gossiping about me or tormenting someone else. I knew I never should have trusted him to begin with, it all seemed way too good to be true. One thing, however, was certain; I would see Axel brought to justice for what he did and find out who was giving the orders. Maybe I could even bring other cases to a close. I'm just thankful to have Ashton behind me on all of this; I really don't think I could do it all on my own.


	6. Chapter 6

The drive to the house was as silent as a graveyard. Neither of us saying a word while Ashton drove behind the slowest moving truck I had ever seen in my life. In the time that we had been in the car Ashton's phone had been going off like crazy, but he didn't seem to really care at this point. We had stopped at the store, gathering about three weeks worth of food and other things for the both of us.

"Are you alright, Ashton?" I asked, looking down nervously.

A long sigh escaped his mouth before shaking his head. "I've honestly just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Is there any way I can help?"

"If there was I probably wouldn't ask you. Not to sound harsh or anything, I just don't want people dealing with my problems. In any case, I have a few things I need to do tonight so do you think you'll be alright by yourself for a couple of hours? Probably less than that depending on how things go."

I nodded. "I'm pretty good at handling myself."

"Good. If anything happens call me immediately and I'll get you. Understand?"

"Alright; whatever you say."

"This isn't a joke, Krystal," he growled, his brow furrowing. "There's always the possibility of someone tracking you or just a plain old robbery."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled back. "I shouldn't have said that."

He shook his head as he pulled into the driveway. "Forget about it. I'm just a bit edgy right now."

"No you were right. I should be taking this more seriously and saying what I said wasn't the best thing."

"I'll be back sometime tonight. Lock all the doors and don't answer for anybody."

I nodded in agreement as I opened the car door. "Don't have too much fun tonight, Ash. I'll see you whenever you get back."

He remained silent, only a forced smile on his face. We quickly unloaded the groceries from the car, deciding I would be the one putting them away while he was gone. Being alone honestly seemed like a good idea after everything. I hadn't had time alone since everything happened and I really needed to call Jack and tell him what was going on. Glancing over my shoulder once the last bag was on the floor I caught a glimpse of Ashton's car pulling out of the driveway without so much as a goodbye. Not that he really needed to say goodbye or anything; just would have been the polite thing to do. Pulling out my phone I quickly dialed Jack's number, hoping to talk to him a little before Ashton got back.

The phone rang for what seemed like minutes before it went to voicemail. Hanging up, I decided I would try calling him again later or tomorrow depending on what was going on. Glancing down at all the bags that surrounded me, a long sigh managed to escape as I began sorting out the frozen things from the food that needed to go in the fridge and cabinets. Ashton hadn't left any specific placement instructions but I made sure to keep everything that needed to be together in the same general area. Thankfully most of the food we bought was just a bunch of frozen foods, some cereal for a quick breakfast, and some deli meat to make sandwiches for lunch.

Setting down the last loaf of bread I began to walk through the house, taking in the small details that had been painted on the walls as well as the various landscapes that were scattered across the rooms and hallways. In total there were four bedrooms, one of which had my name on the door and Ashton's on another door. Each bedroom had a full bathroom, stocked with towels and other basic things you'd find in a typical bathroom. Overall it had the appearance of something you would see in one of those home improvement magazines; which wasn't a bad thing. Walking into my bedroom, I looked out the window at the open ocean in front of me, a feeling of calmness washing over me. As I turned to leave, my phone had started to ring; an unknown number flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered.

There was a pause. "I know what you're up to. You need to stop before someone gets hurt."

"Who is this? How did you get this number?"

"I'm only going to warn you once. If I have to call you again, I suggest you get as far away as possible. We'll be in touch."

Before I could say another word the call was ended. My heart pounded against my chest and filled my ears as my hands shook and a cold sweat ran down my neck. Pulling up Ashton's number I went to dial the number but quickly decided against it. It wasn't like there was anyone here so it could probably wait until he got home. Yet no matter how hard I tried to shake it, I couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching me. 


	7. Chapter 7

I sat in the parking lot waiting. I didn't know what I was waiting for but anything would have been better than what was happening now. Looking at the building in front of me I felt sick; I hadn't been here for at least two years and didn't exactly want to be back, but it didn't seem like I had a choice. She was up there in that room waiting for me and I had already agreed to this; too late to back out now. Stepping out of the car I made my way into the hotel to the elevator and pushing the button for the top floor. I knew this place almost as much as I knew my own house as well as where the room was. Despite going at a normal speed for an elevator, it seemed as though time was dragging on purpose just to make this harder than it should have been.

I should have just said no to the whole thing and told her to go back home but instead I let my damn emotions get the better of me yet again. I wanted so badly to forget about her and move on with my life, to meet someone that I was sure would never hurt me again; but something about her kept pulling me back every single time. Maybe I was weak for believing things could be talked about and fixed. Walking off the elevator my mind had a sudden moment of absolute clarity; no matter how badly I wanted this to work it was never going to be the same again. The love that I had for her at one point was gone and the trust was completely broken; we could never be together again. Not in this lifetime anyway.

I managed to knock twice before the door flew open. Her eyes were red and her makeup ran down her face from crying. I didn't doubt for a moment that my eyes probably were in the same messed up condition.

"You actually came," she whispered. "I didn't think you would."

"I wanted to say no; I didn't wanna be here right now," my voice sounded harsher than I had meant for it to be.

She nodded. "I understand; I just figured this was something we needed to talk about face to face."

"How did you even get here?"

"When I had gotten off the phone with you the first time I was already getting on the plane. I had to see you again, Ash. Come inside so we can talk."

I nodded, following her into the room we had shared once before. Everything still looked the same as it had before; the only real change was the circumstances. Her bags were tossed in a corner of the room along with the leather jacket she loved to wear whenever she went out. It had always been one of my favorites. She sat down on the couch in the center of the room, motioning for me to join her. I could already feel my body ready to break down completely, fall into her arms once again and pretend this had all been just a dream. Once I sat down next to her, it didn't take long for her to break into tears.

"I know what you and your family think of me," she started. "I never should have done any of the things I did to you; you never deserved it for a moment. You were nothing but good to me and I treated you like trash and slept with your brother while engaged to you. I know it doesn't seem like it but I always loved you, Ashton, and I still do. If I could go back in time and change what I did I would in a heartbeat but I can't. It was never about the money to me like it was to Daddy, I really wanted to be with you out of love!"

"Veronica," I whispered. "You will always have a place in my heart, but, you can't expect things to go back to the way they were when you broke my heart. I trusted you and obviously that was a mistake. I can't even put into words how much I wanna break down right now and say that everything will be okay because I know that's just a lie people tell when they aren't ready to face the truth. We had something amazing at one point in time and I honestly thought that we would be together until one of us died first. I would've given you everything, but you went and slept with my brother."

Her mouth opened slightly before closing again, trying to find something to say when she knew she couldn't; there really wasn't anything left to be said. We both knew it was over. Why we kept torturing ourselves like this was something I'd probably only understand late in life, but it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"It's really over then, isn't it?" her voice was just below a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Veronica."

"Please, Ashton, I can make things right if you just give me a chance! This isn't fair!"

"Not fair? You made your choice, Veronica, and I'm making mine here and now. Don't you dare try and drag me down just because you can't live with the choices you made."

"Then can I leave with one last kiss?"

I stood up from the couch, shaking my head. "If I kissed you right now I know I wouldn't be able to stop. I'm leaving this room with what's left of my pride and my heart. I hope one day you find someone who makes you happy and gives you everything you ever wanted in life."

"Ashton," she sobbed, grabbing onto my arm. "Please don't walk away. We can fix this! I know I messed up but please let me fix this!"

It hurt seeing her like this, she had never really been one for crying even when we were together. I don't even think she cried at her aunt's funeral. It was honestly almost enough to make me want to change my mind.

Shaking my head I pulled her hand off my arm. "I'll always care about you and be there for you, Veronica, but we could never be together again. I'm sorry."

With that, I made my way out the door as she fell on her knees continuing to cry. With each step I took back to the elevator I felt more and more free; almost like a weight had finally been lifted off of my shoulders. I couldn't say that it didn't hurt like hell to leave her like that, but we both knew what would have happened if we tried anything. Someone would have gotten hurt in the end. I wanted to cry, to let out what I'd been holding in since we first started falling apart. As much as I tried to prepare for this it still didn't keep me from feeling as though someone ripped out my heart all over again. There would never be a moment in which she wouldn't be on my mind, but with enough time maybe I could move on and just be happy again.

Stepping outside a rain that must have started while I was inside began to drench my clothes, soaking through to my skin. The rain that ran down my face made it impossible to tell if it was just rain water or my own tears; probably a combination of the two. Looking over at where I had parked I decided to go for a walk along the shore, not ready to go back home in case Krystal was still awake and noticed that I was crying. I know she means well, but this was just something I wasn't ready to tell anyone just yet; not to mention that feeling she gave me. Attempting anything with her or anyone else at this point was bound to end in disaster and she already has enough problems as it is without having to worry about me or a relationship.

There were only a few people walking outside, most of them running into buildings to take cover from the rain while the ones who remained outside were jogging to their cars. There were stairs leading down to the empty shore, waves that were once calm now harsh due to the wind. There was a point in time where I once loved the ocean breeze, a time when I still believed that nothing could ever go wrong; but that was before Dad became what he is now. Taking a seat on a large rock I let the warm rain wash over me as a bolt of lightning cracked in the distance followed by the crashing thunder. Closing my eyes I let out a long sigh and for a moment I felt almost happy.

"Ashton?" a faint voice called.

My eyes shot open, wandering over to the source of the voice.

"Krystal?" I answered. "What are you doing out here? You're going to get sick."

She shrugged. "I needed some air and decided to go for a walk. I didn't expect the rain."

She spoke with an almost matter-of-fact tone, almost as if I had asked the most obvious question. I opened my mouth, ready to tell her to go home, when she spoke again.

"Thunderstorms were always my favorite; they always calmed me down when I was upset with something. I know something's bothering you, Ashton, but I won't push you to talk about it unless you really want to. I just want you to know I'm here to listen; it's the least I can do after all you and your family have done for me."

I nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you."

She sat down on a smaller rock in front of me, listening intently as I told her everything that had been happening; from everything with Dad to my falling out with Veronica. While I talked she had taken my hand in hers, squeezing it softly now and then. By the time I had finished she was looking down at the sand, kicking a small stone with her foot.

"I wish I had the words to say how sorry I am, Ashton," she whispered. "You've had so many terrible things happen to you and you didn't deserve any of them. Your father is a terrible person for what he's been doing to you and I hope he gets what's coming to him one day. As for Veronica, I know saying you need to move on won't help or even be good advice, but just know that she isn't worth another thought. She had something amazing and she threw it away. You deserve so much better."

For once in my life I was completely speechless. Looking down, her fingers had become tangled with mine and her eyes were focused on mine. I stood quickly, her hand falling back on her lap before she jumped up next to me. A strand of her hair blew in front of her eyes and, without thinking, I gently pushed it back into place and let my fingers brush against her cheek down to her jaw. Her lips parted, her eyes never leaving mine. Despite the rain and wind I couldn't deny how beautiful she still looked. Putting my fingers under her chin we leaned closer together until her nose brushed against mine.

"Ashton," her voice almost inaudible.

With that one word my lips pressed against hers in a soft, passionate kiss. The thunder in the distance seemed to completely fade away along with the problems we knew we would have to face once the sun came up; but just for tonight we could pretend that nothing was wrong and just be content. Her arms found their way around my neck while mine wrapped around her slender frame, pulling us closer together as the kiss continued to deepen and the rain poured down on us. Deep in the pit of my stomach I knew this was wrong; neither of us were ready for anything after what we had been through. Slowly we pulled apart, her gaze meeting mine with a look I knew all too well. Taking her hand we made our way back to the car.

The ride to the house was filled with tension and a silence that would drive anyone to madness, yet without saying a word we both knew what was going to happen. Even if we both regretted it in the morning, at least we wouldn't have to be alone tonight. Thankfully the drive was only a few minutes from where we had been, and once we had pulled into the driveway it wasn't long before we were in the house back in each other's arms. Pressing her against the door we picked up right where we had left off, our mouths moving hungrily against the others.

Pulling away I looked at her, my hands on each side of her face. "We don't need to go any further if you don't want to, Krystal."

"Don't worry, Ashton, I know what I'm doing," she spoke confidently.

Picking her up into my arms, I carried to into my bedroom, carefully laying her down on the bed before kissing her once again. Her hands moved through my hair, pulling it slightly, before moving down my chest to the bottom of my soaked t-shirt. The heat between us was almost unbearable, it felt as though someone had set the house on fire. Her movements were fluid and quick, and my shirt was soon discarded to some unknown corner of the room. We made quick work of each other's clothes until we were both in just our underwear.

"Are you sure you want this, Krystal?" I asked once more.

She nodded. "Please, Ashton."

I nodded, kissing her gently once before trailing down her neck while I removed the last of the fabric that stood in our way. Locking my lips with hers once more before entering her, reaching total nirvana. Her eyes held mine as we both came down from our high, her body trembling underneath mine as we kissed once more.

"Ashton," she stammered, her eyes fluttering closed.

Gently I put a finger against her lips. "Shh, you don't need to say anything."

She smiled and nodded quickly, pressing her lips once more against mine as I moved off her to the side, pulling her into my arms. My heart pounded against my chest as I looked over at her now sleeping body. It wasn't so much that I regretted what we had done, I knew I cared about her, but this wasn't how things were supposed to be. My one job was to make sure she had a job here, finished school, and stayed out of trouble. There wasn't ever supposed to be anything else involved. As much as I wanted to move on from Veronica, this sure as hell wasn't the way I wanted to do that. Closing my eyes, I resolved to figure out this mess in the morning and enjoy being in someone's arms one last night.


	8. Chapter 8

Almost a week has passed by since the night I slept with Ashton and he's practically gone out of his way to avoid me while I prepared for my first day at my new school. Today he didn't have much choice for being around me since he had to go to the school with me and get copies of almost everything and make sure the school knew what the situation was. As I made my way to the kitchen I noticed Ashton was already there with a piece of toast in his hand and his headphones on. Glancing up in my direction he motioned his head toward the door before walking out of the room, grabbing his car keys on his way out the door.

"This is going to be interesting," I muttered as I followed him out the door.

His headphones were off but the music was now blasting through the speakers, making the whole car vibrate.

"Ashton!" I shouted over the music. "Can I please talk to you?"

His eyes turned dark before he turned down the music. "What is it, Krystal?"

"I think we should talk about what happened and..."

"There's nothing to talk about," he snapped.

"How can you say that? Did what happened mean that little to you?"

"It didn't mean anything to me. What happened that night was nothing more than a mistake. We were both weak and went about it the wrong way; that's all there is to it."

"Ashton, I trusted you! I thought that meant something to you! Or at least that I meant something to you!"

The school building came into view just as Ashton looked over with a cold stare on his face.

"Then you can't exactly blame me, can you? It was your mistake."

"Ash..."

"You really shouldn't be so trusting," he sneered. "The world and is a dangerous place and so are the people in it. If you wanna live through all of this keep that in mind and forget about what happened that night. Now, let's go get the papers signed so you can go to class before you're late."

As much as I wanted to say something more, I couldn't manage to form a real thought; instead I focused on the school building in front of me and the hope that this morning would only get better. There were dozens of people making their way into the building while others stood around outside talking to their friends. There seemed to be the normal groups that were in every other high school. Beautiful girls dressed in their expensive outfits and cheerleading uniforms stood in one group along with the typical jock boys who thought they were the best thing since sliced bread. Another group contained the ones who didn't quite fit into the popular group and had formed their own thing.

Lastly was the gothic group. There were maybe five of them in total; two slim looking girls with black and red hair and three boys, one boy with piercing blue eyes and black hair swept to one side that went just below his cheek and cut short on the other side. Despite still being hurt by what Ashton had just said to me, I couldn't deny that this guy was absolutely stunning. He looked up from his group and our eyes met for a moment before he turned back to listen to one of the girls beside him; probably his girlfriend.

"Krystal, come on we need to move a little faster here," snapped Ashton, his voice breaking my thoughts.

"Right behind you," I muttered back.

He sighed. "Look, you're a good person and everything and I'm still here to help you, but anything more between us would be a mistake. Besides, you're still in high school and I'm twenty-five; something like that doesn't look very good. If you want someone to be with then I suggest someone closer to your age who you have more in common with. You don't wanna be with someone like me."

His pace quickened as we made our way down the hall.

"Ashton, you don't understand," I started. "I don't care what you think about age or anything like that! I..."

"Don't know what you're talking about," he whispered, his voice dangerously low. "You only think you like me right now just because we slept together. Trust me, Krystal, that feeling will go away as quickly as it came once you meet someone else."

"Why do you think you know how I feel? What gives you the right to even say something like that to me?"

"Because we both know it's the truth. I loved someone older than me when I was your age and it goes away quickly when you realize that you can never really be with them without someone pointing out the age difference or how it will never work because one of you will die before the other. You're still young, Krystal, you have a chance to be with someone who can give you what you deserve. Besides all that, after Veronica, I don't even wanna think about being with someone else for a long time."

We walked the rest of the way in silence with a tension so intense it wouldn't surprise me if everyone around us could feel it. Ashton was probably right one way or another. A relationship was the last thing either of us should be looking for in this situation. The only thing that should be on my mind during this should be school, work, and figuring out those damn emails that gave Axel all those directions.

"Good morning!" chimed and overly cheerful woman. "Is there something I can help you with? I don't think I've seen either of you here before; and I know just about everyone in this school."

Ashton shook his head. "My name is Ashton Hawthorne and this is Krystal Nightingale. We have a meeting this morning with Mr. Adler and Mrs. Beckett to discuss Krystal's enrollment in the school."

She nodded, the smile never leaving her face. "Of course. How on earth could I forget? I'll go and get Mr. Adler so just sit down and make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you," he calmly replied.

The hall outside the office flooded with students going to their lockers. Some were still with their group while other just grabbed what they needed and carried on; one couple was even going so far as to make out against one of the lockers. I looked over at Ashton, seeing he was on his phone sending a message to someone while we waited. I still couldn't manage to push what he had said out of my mind...I know it was stupid on my end to even get involved with him hardly even knowing him, but something in me just didn't seem to really even care at that point. As for the age gap, it honestly wasn't even that big of a deal since I was already almost seventeen; and it's not like it's completely unheard of for a younger girl to date an older guy. That sort of thing happens every day.

But thinking about it from his perspective I could see why it would bother him more than it would me. Eight years is a big difference and I understood why he wouldn't want to really risk anything for someone like me. Hearing him say that it really meant nothing though still hurt. Maybe he was right and I'm just reading too much into a mistake that should never have happened to begin with.

"Excuse me," same a sharp voice. "Are you Mr. Hawthorne?"

Ashton stuck his hand out. "You must be Mr. Jason Adler, I've heard quite a bit about you. Where is Mrs. Beckett?"

"She'll be joining us in just a few minutes, Mr. Hawthorne. As for right now, why don't we get this meeting started?"

"Alright, let's get started then."

We followed the man to a smaller room behind the office desk. The room was plain white with two large windows and a metal desk in front of it with just a computer on top of it. The only other object in the room was a small round table with a few chairs around it. Just like most high school offices, Mr. Adler's office was as cold and uninviting as it gets. The room seemed to reflect his apparently bland personality.

"Miss Nightingale, I have been informed by Ashton here as well as his father of your current situation. I can assure you that no one will receive a copy of your schedule and we will do our best to keep you protected as we would any other student. That being said I need to make this perfectly clear. You may be a transfer student under a very difficult situation, but I do not intend on giving you any special treatment. You will be given the same planner with the rules that each student is obligated to follow; should any of the rules be broken you will be given the standard warning depending on the situation followed by the same punishment any other student would be dealt. I'm not sure yet what kind of person you are and seeing as how you're about to be a senior I won't be given much opportunity to know you, however, you may reach out to me with any concerns you may have. Are there any questions?"

As I shook my head the door to the office opened up to reveal a woman in her mid to late forties with the standard pencil skirt and white blouse you saw teachers in movies wear. Her steps over towards us were confident with her head held high like an entitled celebrity.

"You must be Krystal," she sighed. "Welcome to our school; I hope you'll fit in nicely. Now, skipping the formality and introductions I have with me your scheduled classes, planner, and a small directory of the school so you don't end up needing directions. You are expected to arrive on time to your classes as tardiness will not be accepted. Since the day is about to begin I suggest that you get a move on to your first class while we finish up this meeting. I'll be checking in on you from time to time as well as keeping a close eye on you. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance."

Trying my best, I gave her a small smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you as well ma'am. Thank you for all the information Mr. Adler, I really hope to get to know you better."

Taking my schedule from Mrs. Beckett I made my way out of the room as quickly as I could, not wanting to be around Aston longer than I needed to. The halls were getting more crowded as people went to their lockers and prepared to go to their first class. With so many people in the way, it made it impossible to not bump into someone and get the stare of death from whoever you bumped into. Large groups of people weren't ever really my thing, but this was just a whole new level of crowded. It was almost certain that everyone could tell I was a new face; a real fish out of water.


	9. Chapter 9

Once the door to the office closed I turned my attention back to Jason. His eyes narrowed as they met mine, making it clear he wanted me out of his office as quickly as possible.

"Listen now, Ashton," he sneered. "I don't really care who your parents are but you need to show a bit more respect around here if you expect me to help this girl out. I run a tight ship and you know it and so does your father."

"I completely understand your situation, Jason, however, whatever bad business happened between you and my father is strictly between the two of you. I just want to get this mess straightened out so I can get my life back on track."

"From the rumors I've heard your life wasn't going all that well. How's that fiancee of yours doing by the way. Valerie I think her name was?"

My fingers curled. "Veronica. We had some private issues that couldn't be resolved and ended up parting ways. I suggest that whatever rumors you claim to be hearing, it would be in your best interest to ignore them and mind your own business."

"Whatever you say, Ashton. Just keep in mind I can pull strings if I want to."

"Was that a threat?"

He glared, the tone of my voice low almost like a growl; a warning. Shaking his head he walked out of the room leaving the door open. Following him out, I began to walk down the hallway and out of the building, ignoring the other students passing by with curious stares. Pulling my phone out I checked the dozens of messages that Veronica had left; almost all of them pleading for me to reconsider. For a moment I thought of calling her and telling her that maybe once this was over with we could try again to have a life together like we dreamt about...but that wasn't a possibility anymore. There would always be that lingering doubt; always be a feeling of not being able to trust her around my own brother. Eventually she would get the message and find someone else, or at the very least her parents would find her someone else. Whatever the outcome, I wouldn't be apart of it....


	10. Chapter 10

My mind continued to buzz with a hundred thoughts as I walked down the hallway trying to find the room for my next class. The teachers all seemed friendly enough and so did most of the students, but no one had really talked to me just yet. Everyone seemed to be with their usual group of friends and didn't even notice as I walked by them; but why would I expect them to? My thoughts wandered to Ashton and what he had said; maybe I didn't really like him the way I thought I did. From what I've heard and read about, people say when you sleep with someone it often makes you start having feelings for them even if the feeling isn't real.

Finally reaching the door to my third period English class I saw there was only two other students in the room already. One, a curly haired blond boy about my own age, sat at the desk in the second row talking to the tall raven haired boy, who looked slightly older, in front of him. The blond stopped mid sentence when he glanced over and saw that I was standing in the doorway. My heart pounded against my chest as a feeling of overwhelming anxiety came over me. I probably looked like an idiot just staring at them the way I was...but the blond was extremely cute...

He smiled and waved me over. "Don't worry, we don't bite," he laughed.

His friend shrugged. "Most of the time we don't."

I smiled down at the floor, unsure of what to say.

"You must be new," continued the blond. "I've never seen you around here before. My name's Evan and this here is my partner-in-crime Kyle."

"I'm Krystal; it's nice to meet both of you."

Even grinned, showing off the whitest teeth I had ever seen a teen have along with the most adorable dimples.

"Well, Krystal, why don't you sit down next to me," Evan said as he looked up at me. "I'll help you through the class and make sure they don't hurt you too bad."

"Are people in this class jerks?"

Kyle shook his head. "Not so much jerks, but, it's mostly a bunch of football guys eyeing up the other girls. It's kinda like those cheesy high school movies you see but in real life. Mrs. Peterson is pretty cool though, so you'll probably like her."

"We should warn you though that she loves to make new students stand at the front and make them talk about themselves and why they moved here."

My smile instantly fell. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Furrowing his brows, Evan looked at me with a confused look. "How come? Did something happen?"

My mouth opened, but quickly closed again. I knew Ashton would freak out if he heard that I told someone about why I was here, yet, something told me I could trust Evan completely; but maybe that was just another feeling I didn't know anything about. Feeling myself scowl I quickly shook my head and looked back at Evan, who now looked even more confused than before.

"My mom and stepdad killed my father and then tried to kill me after I found out. I was taken to stay with these people by someone I thought was my friend, and they sent me here and said I'd be safer here. I'm not really supposed to be talking about it, but, I feel like I can trust you."

"Jesus...." whispered Kyle.

Evan quickly stood up from his desk and wrapped his arms tightly around me. "I know we just met, but I promise you can trust us. We won't let anything happen to you; you're our friend now."

Slowly I relaxed into his arms, feeling myself wanting to break down and cry in that moment; luckily the final bell rang before I got the chance. Evan quickly pulled away from the hug as more students flooded into the room with bored looks already plastered on their faces while some were busy chatting away with their friends. As I sat down and looked around I saw what Kyle meant by the class being mostly football type guys and preppy schoolgirls ogling them as if they were the greatest thing in the world.

"Alright, class," chimed the voice of a woman in her early thirties. "We have a new student in the class today so let's all give a nice welcome to Miss Krystal Nightingale! Krystal, why don't you come tell us a bit about yourself?"

Evan squeezed my hand reassuringly. "I'll distract her if she asks you why you moved here, don't worry."

Giving him a brief smile of thanks, I made my way to the front of the room, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room focus on me.

"Hi everyone. My name is Krystal, I just transferred here and I'm really looking forward to getting to know some of you. I like music and poetry and write a lot. That's about it honestly."

Mrs. Peterson rested her hand on my shoulder. "Where did you move from, Krystal? Did you move here with your family?"

"Mrs. Peterson," interrupted Evan. "Didn't we have that poem assignment due today?"

Patting me on the shoulder I made my way back to the desk beside Evan mouthing a quick thank you. The corner of his mouth turned up in a small smirk, his right dimple becoming visible once again.

"You're right, Evan," continued Mrs. Peterson. "Since you're most likely the only one who remembered it was due today, why don't you go ahead and read us your poem first."

Evan let out an exaggerated sigh as he stood up and moved to the front. "I don't have my paper with me, but here it goes."

He looked over at me with a small smirk.

"She waits patiently for the world to change,

For someone to remind her that she'll be safe.

Yet , she remains silent through it all.

Living in a world scary and strange

Yet through it all she keeps her head held high

Her smile never falling, her beauty and strength a message to all."


End file.
